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William Penn. 



PENNSYLVANIA: 
A PRIMER 

By BARR FERREE 

Secretary of The Pennsylvania Society 




NEW YORK 

Leonard Scott Publication Company 
MCMIV 






LIBRfiRY '^' CONGRIiSS 
Two Oooies Secetved 

JUN 29 1904 
-v CoDyrljrht Entry 

CLASS H- XXo. 



No. 



S' i J L 

COPY B 



Copyright, 1904. 
By Barr Ferree. 



PREFACE 

The following pages have been prepared to present, in the most 
concise form possible, the essential facts of Pennsylvania history. 
Intended to serve as a summary of Pennsylvania affairs, available 
for the busy man searching for facts only, the narrative form has 
been abandoned, and the text arranged in paragraphs, which, in their 
turn, are gathered together into related chapters. 

In an elementary text book, such as this is designed to be, little 
display of original research can be expected ; but the author believes 
the plan and scope of the book to be new, and trusts it sufficiently 
covers the subject to have genuine usefulness. 

No history of the State can be intelligible which ignores its 
geography, its geology, its political divisions, its government. His- 
tory is best understood by comparing the past with the environment 
of the present. Considerable space is, therefore, given to summar- 
izing the present form of government in Pennsylvania and related 
topics, subjects that ordinarily would be omited from a book of this 
size and which give it a broader scope than a history alone, and being 
presented in an eminently elementary manner, justify the title 
"Primer" which has been chosen as descriptive of the book. 

The Author's heartiest thanks are due to a number of gentlemen 
who have kindly aided him in sundry special matters. And first of 
all he must acknowlelge his heavy obligations to Dr. Julius F. 
Sachse, whose keen advice and profound knowledge of Pennsylvania 
history and bibliography have been most helpful. Dr. Sachse has 
also aided in the illustrations and has loaned a number of cuts from 
his remarkable monographs on the Pennsylvania-Germans. Mr. 
David McNeely Stauffer has rendered much valuable aid and has 
permitted free access to his great collection of illustrative material 
and has contributed many of his own drawings to the adornment of 
the Primer. Messrs. James M. Beck, Hampton L. Carson, William 
U. Hensel, M. Hampton Todd and S. Raymond Roberts have kindly 
furnished special suggestions to the author. His thanks are also due 
Mr. Thomas Lynch Montgomery, State Librarian of Pennsylvania, 
for the use of a number of cuts of seals and arms. Mr. Alva Burton 
Konkle has permitted the reproduction of two interesting maps of 



4 PREFACE 

Pennsylvania counties compiled by himself, from his valuable Life 
and Times of Thomas Smith. The Site and Relic Society of Ger- 
mantown has also permitted the use of two cuts from The Guide 
to Historic Germantozvn by Mr, Charles F. Jenkins. Dr. Gregory 
B. Keen, Curator of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, has per- 
mitted the reproduction of his interesting map of New Sweden, and 
Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. have supplied an illustration from 
Winsor's Narrative and Critical History of America and from Fiske's 
Critical Period of American History. Thanks are also due Henry 
Wharton Shoemaker, Esq., for help in reading the proofs, and to 
the Publication Committee of the Pennsylvania Society, Henry F. 
Shoemaker, Esq., Chairman, for rendering possible the publication 
of the book, which, having appeared in the Year Book of the Society 
for 1904, is also issued in separate form by its permission. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Chronology 17 

1. Chronological Summary 17 

CHAPTER n. 

Description 30 

2. Physical Features 30 

3. Geology 31 

4- Title 31 

5. State Divisions 32 

6. Cities and Towns 37 

7. Capital of the State 44 

8. Counties 44 

CHAPTER ni. 

Early History 53 

9. First Grants 53 

10. Discovery and First Settlements 53 

11. The Swedes on the Delaware 56 

12. The Dutch on the Delaware 59 

13. Early English Settlements 60 

CHAPTER IV. 

Penn and the Province 62 

14. William Penn 62 

15. Penn's Family 69 

16. The Holy Experiment of Pennsylvania 70 

17. The Royal Charter 72 

18. Frames of Government 74 

19. The Great Law 78 

20. The Proprietaryship and the Province 78 

21. The Province and the Penn Family 80 

22. Provincial and Home Government 82 

23. Attempts to Abolish the Proprietaryship 83 



6 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

24. Legislative Growth : Provincial Period 84 

25. Religious Tests 87 

26. The Lower Counties : Delaware 89 

CHAPTER V. 

The Elements of Population 92 

27. Elements of Population 92 

28. Quakers 92 

29. Welsh 98 

30. Germans 98 

31. Moravians 102 

32. Scotch-Irish and Presbyterians 103 

33. Episcopalians 104 

CHAPTER VL 

The Indians 105 

34. Indians in Pennsylvania 105 

35. Indian Purchases 1 16 

36. The Friendly Association 117 

CHAPTER VII. 

Boundary Adjustments 118 

37. The Maryland Boundary 118 

38. Dispute with Connecticut 121 

39. Dispute with Virginia 126 

40. Northern Boundary 128 

41. Delaware Boundary 129 

42. Eastern Boundary 130 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Governors of Pennsylvania 131 

43. The Governors of Pennsylvania 131 

A. Colonial Period, 1614-1618 131 

B. Provincial Period, 1681-1776 133 

C. Governors During the Revolution, 1 776-1 790 142 

D. Governors of the Commonwealth, from 1790 146 

44. Political Parties 162 

45. Party Votes for Governor 166 



CONTENTS 7 
CHAPTER IX. 

PAGE 

The Revolution 170 

46. Change from Proprietary to State Government 170 

47. The Beginnings of the Revolutionary War 172 

48. Pine Creek Declaration of Independence 174 

49. The Revolutionary War 176 

50. After the Revolution 188 

51. The Pennsylvania Navy 189 

CHAPTER X. 

The Land, Money and Credit, Taxation, Industries, Ways 

OF Communication 191 

52. The Division of the Land 191 

53. Depreciation Lands 194 

54. Donation Lands 196 

55. Westsylvania 198 

56. Reservations in the Northwest 198 

57. Manors 200 

58. The Certified Townships 200 

59. Money and Credit 201 

60. Taxation 203 

61. Industrial Development 204 

62. W^ays of Communication : Indian Trails, Roads, Canals, 

Railroads 208 

CHAPTER XI. 

War in Pennsylvania 213 

63. Military Afifairs in the Provincial Period 213 

64. Frontier Forts 214 

65. The Civil War 216 

CHAPTER XII. 

Miscellaneous 221 

66. The Judicial System 221 

A. Provincial Period 221 

B. Present System 223 

67. Slavery 225 

68. Education 228 



8 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

. 69. Naturalization 232 

70. Pennsylvania and the National Constitution 233 

71. The Post 237 

^2. The State Seal 237 

73. The State Arms 237 

74. The State Flag 239 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Government 241 

75. State Constitutions 241 

76. State Officers 243 

yy. General Assembly 244 

78. Local Government 247 

A. Provincial Period 247 

B. Present System 248 

Index 249 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Portrait of William Penn Frontispiece 

From the original oil painting in the Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania, 
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin 17 

From the rare engraving by L. C. de Carmontelle. 
Pennsylvania Arms, 1823 29 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Pennsylvania Arms, 1778 32 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Map of Virginia, Nev^ Albion and Sv^eeds Plantation, 

1651 32 

Compiled by "Domina Virginia Farrer." Published in 
London in 165 1. 
Pennsylvania Arms, 1805 33 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Pennsylvania Arms, 1809 34 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902, 
Pennsylvania Arms, 1820 35 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Seal of Philadelphia County, 1683 36 

Adopted by resolution of March 23, 1683. Drawn by D. 
McN. Stauffer, 
Seal of City of Philadelphia, 1701 38 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Chew House, Germantown, 1760 39 

From C. F. Jenkins : The Guide Book to Historic German- 
town, Germantown, 1902. 
Morris House, Germantown, 1772-1773 40 

From C. F. Jenkins: The Guide Book to Historic German- 
tozvn, Germantown, 1902. 
Sketch Map of Fort Duquesne 41 

From the Royal Magazine, London, 1759. From a print in 
the collection of D. McN. Stauffer. 
Seal of Germantown, 1691 42 

From J. F. Sachse: The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 



10 ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Map of Counties and County Seats in Pennsylvania 45 

Drawn by G. A. Skrzyneki. 

Pennsylvania Counties in 1771 46 

Compiled by Burton Alva Konkle ; from his Life and Times 
of Thomas Smith, i/4j-i8op, Philadelphia, 1904. Copy- 
right, 1903. 

Pennsylvania Counties in 1772-1773 48 

Compiled by Burton Alva Konkle ; from his Life and Times 
of Thomas Smith, i/4§-i8op, Philadelphia, 1904. Copy- 
right, 1903. 

Keen's Map of New Sweden between 1638 and 1655 48 

From original drawing by Gregory B. Keen. 

Seal of Chester County, 1683 49 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 

Seal of Philadelphia, 1683 51 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 

Visscher's Map of New Sweden, 1651 54 

From Campanius: Nye Swerigo, Stockholm, 1702. 
Fac-simile of Title Page of Campanius's Indian Cate- 
chism 55 

Translated in 1646 and published in Stockholm in 1696. 
From J. F. Sachse: The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897, 
after the original in the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania. 

Autograph of William Usselinx 56 

Lindstrom's Map of New Sweden, 1654-1655 57 

From Campanius: Nye Swerigo, Stockholm, 1702. 

Autograph of Peter Minuit 58 

Autograph of Johan Printz 58 

Campanius's Map of the Atlantic Colonies 61 

From Campanius : Nye Szverigo, Stockholm, 1702. 
Baptismal Record of William Penn, All Hallows 

Church, Barking, London 62 

From a photograph of the Parish Register. 
Title Page of Penn's Manuscript Journal of his Journey 

into Holland and Germany 63 

From J. F. Sachse: The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 



ILLUSTRATIONS ii 

PAGE 

High (now Market) Street, Philadelphia 64 

From The Stranger in America, London, 1807. From a 
print in the collection of D. McN. Stauffer. 
Fac-simile of Title Page of Penn's "Some Account of the 

Province" 65 

Published in London in 1681. From J. F. Sachse: The 
Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 

Map of Philadelphia by Thomas Holme, 1700 66 

Published in London, 1700. 

Map of Pennsylvania, 1698 67 

From Gabriel Thomas : Account of Pennsylvania, London, 
1698. 
Tombstone of William Penn and Hannah Penn, Jordan's 

Meeting House, England 69 

Drawn by Horace Moran from a rubbing. 

Armorial Bearings of the Penn Family 71 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 
Fac-simile of Title Page of Penn's Frame of Government, 

1682 75 

Published in London, 1682. From J, F. Sachse: The 
Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 

Fac-simile of Signatures to Frame of Government y6 

Arms of Penn 79 

Portrait of Thomas Penn 80 

From the original oil painting in the Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania. 

Proprietary Seal of William Penn 81 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 

Map of Pennsylvania, 1730 85 

From David Humphreys : An Historical Account of the In- 
corporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
Foreign Parts, London, 1730. 

Proprietary Seal of Pennsylvania 87 

Receipt and Seal of the Society of Free Traders, 1682. ... 88 
Organized in London to develop a tract of 20,000 acres in 
Pennsylvania to be known as the Manor of Frank. 
Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 

Arms of Lord de la Warr 90 

Drawn bv D. McN. Stauffer. 



12 ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Seal of the Lower Counties^ 1751 91 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 

Map of Colonial Pennsylvania 93 

Drawn by G. A, Skrzyneki. 
Fac-simile of Title Page of German Translation of 
Penn's "Some Account of the Province." 
Published in Amsterdam, 1681. From J. F. Sachse: The 
Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 

The Evans Map of Pennsylvania, 1755 96 

Compiled by Lewis Evans. 

Autograph of Francis Daniel Pastorius 99 

From J. F. Sachse : The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 

Seal of Unitas Fratrum 103 

From J. F. Sachse : The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 

Map of the Country of the Six Nations 107 

Compiled by Guy Johnson, 1771. From E, B. O'Callag- 
han: The Documentary History of New York, Albany, 
1850. 

French Map of Western Pennsylvania 109 

From Pouchot : Mhnoires de la derniere Guerre, Yverdon, 
1781. 

Fac-simile of a Celoron Plate, 1749 no 

From the Pennsylvania Archives. 

Map of Braddock's Route, 1755 112 

Drawn by Middleton, From Winthrop Sargent : The His- 
tory of an Expedition against Fort Dn Quesne, in 1755, 
Philadelphia, 1855. 

A Paxton Caricature 112 

Published in 1 763-1 764. From the original in the Histori- 
cal Society of Pennsylvania. 
Map Showing the Various Purchases Made From the 

Indians 116 

From W. H. Egle : An Illustrated History of the Common- 
wealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, 1876. 

Map Illutrating Pennsylvania Boundary Disputes 118 

Mason and Dixon Line Stone, near Oxford, Chester Co., 

Penn 121 

Drawn by Horace Moran from a woodcut by W. T. Smed- 
ley, after a photograph. From a reprint in the collection 
of D. McN. StaufTer. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 13 

PAGE 

Map of the Wyoming Forts 123 

From Report of the Commission to Locate the State of the 
Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, 1896. 
Map of Virginia Claims in Southwestern Pennsylvania. . 127 
Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki from Report of the Secretary 
of Internal Affairs, Harrisburg, 1893. 

View of the Wyoming Valley 128 

From a drawing made for the Centennial observance of the 
Battle of Wyoming in 1878. From John Fiske: The 
Critical Period of American History, Boston, 1898. By 
permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 

Seal of the Pennsylvania Society 130 

Autographs of the Provincial and State Governors of 

Pennsylvania 134-162 

From original documents in the collection of D. McN. 
Staufifer and in the State Library at Harrisburg. 

A View of the State House in Philadelphia 144 

From the Gentleman's Magazine, London, September, 1752. 
From a print in the collection of D. McN. Staufifer. 
Fac-simile of Title Page of Buckshot War Pamphlet. ... 153 
Harrisburg, 1839. From the original in the Historical So- 
ciety of Pennsylvania. 

The Old Capitol at Harrisburg 160 

Built, 1821 ; burned, February 2, 1897. From an engrav- 
ing in the collection of D. McN. Stauffer. 

Pennsylvania Arms, 1829 164 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 

Pennsylvania Arms, 1832 165 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Fac-simile of First Republican Electoral Ticket in 

Pennsylvania, 1856 169 

From original ballot in the collection of J. F. Sachse. 
Seal of the Convention for the State of Pennsylvania, 

1776 170 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 

Seal of the Committee of Safety, 1775 171 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 

Map of Battlefields near Philadelphia 175 

Drawn by G. A. Skrzyneki. 



14 ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The Forge at Valley Forge 176 

From an engraving by C. Tiebout after a drawing by Wil- 
liam Strickland made about 181 3. From a print in the 
collection of D. McN. Stauffer. 

Map of the Campaign of 1777 177 

From Joseph Galloway : Letters to a Nobleman, London, 
1779. 
Plan of the Works and Encampments of the British 

Forces in Philadelphia, 1777-1778 179 

From Scharf and Westcott : History of Philadelphia, Phila- 
delphia, 1884. 

Map of the Battle of Germantown, 1777 181 

From the Pennsylvania ArcJiives. 
Faden's Map of the Operations on the Delaware, 1778. . . . 182 
Sketched from an adaptation of William Faden : Course of 
the Delazvare, 1778, in Wallace: Col. Wm. Bradford. 
From Winsor: Narrative and Critical History of Amer- 
ica, Boston. By permission of Houghton, MifBin & Co. 

Seal of the Supreme Executive Council, 1777 183 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 

Autograph of Anthony Wayne 185 

Map of Valley Forge 186 

Plan of camp occupied by Washington and the Continental 
Army from December 9, 1777, to June 19, 1778. Pre- 
pared by the Valley Forge National Park Association. 
The heavy line shows the State property in 1900. 

The Watchman 190 

From a Watchman's New Year's Address, Philadelphia, 
1835. From a print in the collection of D. McN. Stauf- 
fer. 

Map of the Certified Townships 192 

From the original survey in the American Philosophical 
Society, 

Map of the Depreciation Lands 193 

Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki, from Report of the Secretary 
of Internal Affairs for i8g2, Harrisburg, 1893. 

Map of the Donation Lands 195 

Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki, from Report of the Secretary 
of Internal Affairs for i8p^, Harrisburg, 1896. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 15 

PAGE 

Map of Westsylvania 197 

From the original in the Historical Society of Pennsyl- 
vania. 
Map of the Purchase of 1784 and Reservations in the 

Northwest 199 

Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki, from Report of the Secretary 
of Internal Affairs for i8p6, Harrisburg, 1897. 
Vane ON Pusey's Mill, 1699, William Penn, Samuel Car- 
penter, Caleb Pusey 205 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 
Battlefield of Gettysburg from the Summit of Little 

Round Top 208 

From a photograph by W. H. Rau, Philadelphia. 

CoNESTOGA Wagon 210 

From J. F. Sachse: The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 
Fac-simile of President's Medal, The Pennsylvania So- 
ciety 1899 212 

Map of the Frontier Forts in Pennsylvania 215 

Redrawn from Report of the Commission to locate the Site 
of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, 1896. 

Autograph of Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds 219 

Autograph of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade 219 

Autograph of Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock 219 

Seal of Germantown, 1691 220 

Pennsylvania Arms, 1873 224 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 
Plan of the Battlefield of Gettysburg; Positions and 

Charges of the Pennsylvania Reserves 224 

From Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, Harrisburg, 1893. 
Fac-simile of Anti-Slavery Clause in Benjamin Furly's 

Suggestions to William Penn 226 

From J. F. Sachse : The Fatherland, Philadelphia, 1897. 

Slavery Advertisement 227 

From The Pennsylvania Journal, August 15, 1765. 

The Academy, 4th Street, Philadelphia 229 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauflfer. 

Fac-simile of Oath of Allegiance, 1777 233 

From Scharf and Westcott : History of Philadelphia, Phila- 
delphia, 1884. 



1 6 ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 238 

First Engraved Arms of Pennsylvania, 1777 238 

From Report of the State Librarian, Harrisburg, 1902. 

Pennsylvania Arms, 1875 239 

Map of Pennsylvania Congressional Districts, Act of 

1901 240 

Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki from Smull's Legislative 
Hand Book, Harrisburg, 1903. 

Centre Square Water Works, Philadelphia 240 

Built, 1820; removed, 1828. On Penn Square, now occu- 
pied by the City Hall. From a print in the collection of 
D. McN. Stauflfer. 

Seal of the Assembly, 1776 244 

Drawn by D. McN. Stauffer. 
State Senatorial Districts, Act of 1874. Census of 1900. . .245 
Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki from Smull's Legislative 
Hand Book, Harrisburg, 1903. 
Apportionment of Representatives in State Legislature, 

Act of 1887 246 

Redrawn by G. A. Skrzyneki from Smull's Legislative 
Hand Book, Harrisburg, 1903. 
Pennsylvania Arms 248 




Benjamin Franklin. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. \^ 



CHAPTER I. 

Chronology. 

1. Chronological Summary. 

1584 Queen Elizabeth's patent to Sir Walter Raleigh. 

1606 April 10, King James's patent to the London Company. 

1609 August 28, Henry Hudson discovers the Delaware [South] 

River. 

1610 Thomas West, Lord de la Warr, said to have visited the bay, 

which is named after him. 

1616 Cornells Hendrickson explores the Delaware River to the 
mouth of the Schuylkill. 

1618 Dutch West India Company organized: chartered, 1621 ; Cor- 
nells Jacobsen Mey names the Cape at the extreme end of 
New Jersey. 

1621 Dutch Government purchases the rights of Hudson's dis- 
coveries. 

1623 Dutch take possession of the Delaware, call it Zuydt [South] 

River, and build Fort Nassau, near the mouth of Timber 
Creek, at Gloucester, nearly opposite Philadelphia. Wil- 
liam van Hulst, Governor. 

1624 Swedish Australian Company ; more complete charter in 1626. 

1625 Charles I., King of England. 

1626 Trading Station built on Biles Island within the bounds of 

Bucks County. 

1627 Swedes and Finns settle at Point Paradise. 

1631 Dutch colonists settle on the Hoarkill [Lewistown]. 

1632 June 20, Charter granted by King Charles I. to Cecilius, sec- 

ond Lord Baltimore. 

1634 King Charles I. grants to Sir Edmund Plowden as "Earl Pala- 
tine" of New Albion. 

1638 April 28, Swedish settlements on the Delaware, Peter Minuit, 
Governor. 

1641 Settlement on the Schuylkill by the English or New Haven 
Colony, Thomas Lamberton, Director. 



i8 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

1643 February 15, Governor Johan Printz [Edler von Buchen] es- 

tablishes his seat of government on Tinicum Island; first 
mill in Pennsylvania built on Cobb's Creek. 

1644 October 14, William Penn born, Tower Hill, London. 

1646 First Church in Pennsylvania built at Tinicum ; Indian mis- 
sions started and Luther's Smaller Catechism translated 
into the Indian tongue; first mention of Upland [Chester]. 

1649 Commonwealth of England; New Haven Colony applies for 
aid to commissioners at Boston. 

1 65 1 Dutch erect a trading house on present site of New Castle. 

1653 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector; English or New Haven 
Colony expelled by the Dutch and Swedes. 

1655 Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant conquer the Swedes on the 

Delaware. 

1656 Amsterdam takes possession of part of the Delaware lands. 

1659 Dutch colony in Minisink Valley founded. 

1660 Charles II., King of England ; George Fox thinks of a Quaker 

colony in America. 

1662 Pieter Cornelisz Plockhoy of Zierik Zee founds a communal 
colony at Schwanendael on the Hoarkill. 

1664 King Charles II. grants patent to his brother, the Duke of 
York ; Sir Robert Carr takes possession of the Dutch set- 
tlements. 

1668 William Penn joins the Quakers. 

1672 Delaware River recaptured by the Dutch. 

1674 Restored to England by treaty ; Sir Edmund Andros, Governor. 

1675 First meetings of Friends in Pennsylvania at the house of 

Robert Wade at LTpland. 

1676 The Duke of York's laws formulated. 

1680 William Penn petitions King Charles II. for a grant of land. 

1 68 1 February, Penn and others buy Carteret's interest in New Jer- 

sey : confirmed by Duke of York in March ; March 4, grant 
of the Province to Penn under the great seal ; Penn in May 
sends Markham to take possession. 

1682 October 27, William Penn lands at New Castle; October 28, 

reaches Upland and changes name to Chester; November 
2, attends court at New Castle ; Philadelphia laid out ; first 
Assembly meets at Chester, December 4, passes Penn's 
"Great Law" and adopts his first "Frame of Government." 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 19 

1683 April 2, Penn's second "Frame" known as the "Great Charter 

of the Province" ; August 20, Francis Daniel Pastorius ar- 
rives ; October 6, arrival of the Crefeld Colony from Ger- 
many; October 10, Governor and Council consider the 
necessity for an English school ; October 24, Germantown 
laid out. 

1684 August 17, Penn sails for England. 

1685 James II., King of England ; first book printed in the middle 

colonies, "The Excellent Privilege of Liberty & Property" 
by William Bradford at Philadelphia. 

1688 William and Mary, King and Queen of England; April 18, 

first anti-slavery protest in America by the German Quakers 
of Germantown. 

1689 Friends originate a public school in Philadelphia, George Keith, 

first master [now William Penn Charter School]. 

1690 First paper mill in America erected on the Wissahickon by 

William Rittenhouse. 

1 69 1 Germantown incorporated as a borough ; Schism among the 

Quakers, known as the Keithian Schism. 

1692 October 20, Penn deprived of his proprietary rights. 

1694 June 24, arrival of German Pietists and Mystics at German- 

town under Magister Johannes Kelpius ; August 20, Penn 
reinvested with his proprietary rights. 

1695 First Protestant Episcopal congregation [Christ Church] or- 

ganized in Pennsylvania. 

1696 Markham's "Frame" ; first book in high German printed in 

America by Bradford for Heinrich Bernhard Koster. 

1697 Three Swedish Lutheran pastors arrive; provision made for 

establishing a Post Office. 

1698 Shawanese Indians from Carolina settle on the Susquehanna. 

1699 November 28, William Penn arrives at Chester with his wife, 

daughter Letitia and James Logan as his secretary ; yellow 
fever in Philadelphia during summer. 

1700 January 29, Penn's son John, "the American" born in the slate 

roof house ; Swedish Lutheran Church in Wicaco, "Gloria 
Dei," dedicated. 

1701 October 28, Charter of Privileges; Philadelphia constituted a 

city, Edward Shippen, first Mayor ; November 3, Penn em- 
barks for England. 

1702 Anne, Queen of England. 



20 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

1703 Separation of the Three Lower Counties [now State of 

Delaware] . 
1709 Great exodus of Palatines from Europe to America. 
1 712 Warrants issued to Huguenot settlers in the Pequea Valley. 
1714 George I., King of England. 
1716 First successful effort to establish iron works, on the Schuylkill 

near Pottstown. 

1718 July 30, William Penn died at Ruscombe, Berkshire, Eng- 

land, aged 74; September 17, first treaty with Delaware 
Indians. 

1719 December 22, first newspaper in the middle colonies, "The 

American Weekly Mercury" published at Philadelphia by 
Andrew Bradford; Schwarzenau Tunkers arrive at Ger- 
mantown. 

1722 Scotch-Irish settlements in Donegal and Paxton. 

1723 October, Benjamin Franklin reaches Philadelphia; first issue 

of Pennsylvania paper money; Tulpehocken Valley settled 
by Germans from New York. 

1724 Carpenters' Company instituted. 

1726 Log College founded at the forks of the Neshaminy, Bucks 

Co., by Rev. William Tennent. 

1727 George II., King of England. 

1728 Bartram's Botanic Garden begun; Indians attack iron works 

at Manatawney ; Mennonites arrive in large numbers. 

1729 Conrad Weiser settles in Pennsylvania. 

1730 Lancaster City founded; Mariner's Quadrant invented by 

Thomas Godfrey in Germantown ; first Masonic Lodge 
opened in America at Philadelphia. 

1731 Library Company of Philadelphia founded by Franklin; small- 

pox epidemic in Philadelphia. 

1732 State House, Philadelphia, commenced on plans of Andrew 

Hamilton; June 21, Die Philadelphische Zeitung, published 
by Franklin, the first German newspaper in America ; Au- 
gust II, Thomas Penn arrives at Philadelphia; Schuylkill 
Fishing Company, called the Colony [afterwards the State] 
in Schuylkill, established. 

1733 Regular stage line established between Philadelphia and New 

York ; Schwenkfelders arrive from Germany. 

1734 September 20, John Penn [the American] visits Philadelphia. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 21 

1735 October, State House occupied by the Assembly; John Penn 

returns to England. 
I1736 October, Indian Council in Friends' Meeting House, Second 

and Market streets; second Indian treaty; large influx of 

German emigrants, also many Scotch-Irish ; first Volunteer 

Fire Company in America organized. 

1737 September 19, 20, The Walking Purchase. 

1738 October 10, Benjamin West born; first German press in Amer- 

ica set up in Germantown. 

1739 First Moravians [Unitas Fratrum] come to Pennsylvania; 

"Zionitischer Weyrauchs Hiigel" printed at Germantown 
for Ephrata mystics, first book printed with German type 
in America; Rev. George Whitefield arrives. 

1740 April 14, War with Spain proclaimed at the Court House; 

first American medical book published by Dr. Thomas 
Cadwalader ; Sunday schools established at Ephrata ; White- 
field House built at Nazareth. 

1741 January, Franklin publishes the "American Magazine," the 

first magazine in America; November, Count Zinzendorf 
arrives ; Bethlehem founded by the Moravians ; yellow fever 
epidemic in Philadelphia. 

1742 November 25, Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg arrives. 

1743 German Bible printed in Germantown by Christopher Saur, 

the first Bible printed in a European tongue in America; 
American Philosophical Society founded by Franklin. 

1745 January i, Anthony Wayne born at Paoli, Chester County; 

Ephrata Cloister press set up, the first in America to print 
in both German and English ; Lindley Murray, grammarian, 
born at Swatara, Lancaster County. 

1746 February, Christopher Saur of Germantown began publica- 

tion of the first religious magazine in America. 

1748 Ohio Company formed. 

1749 August 22, Third Indian treaty, the Six Nations sell 100,000 

acres [Allegheny County] to George Croghan; Reading 
founded; St. Andrew's [Benevolent] Society founded; the 
Academy, College and Charity Schools [now University of 
Pennsylvania] established. 
1751 First Medical School in the Colonies at Philadelphia; Penn- 
sylvania Hospital chartered, first in America devoted to the 
relief of the sick ; Loganian Library founded. 



22 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

1752 June 15, Identity of lightning and electricity demonstrated by 

Franklin ; September, first lightning rod used in the world 
set up by Franklin at S. E. corner of Second and Race 
streets ; The "Philadelphia Contributorship," the first fire 
insurance company in the colonies, founded. 

1753 March 4, The first Arctic expedition in America fitted out by 

Philadelphia merchants ; Washington's expedition to Ven- 
ango, forks of the Ohio fortified by his advice; French 
build forts at Presqu' Isle, Le Boeuf and Venango ; French 
and Indian War commenced, devastation of Western and 
Central Pennsylvania ; Connecticut colonizes land in Peuu- 
sylvania. 

1754 Ensign Ward driven from the forks of the Ohio; Fort Du- 

quesne built ; Jumonville defeated ; battle of Great 
Meadows ; surrender of Fort Necessity by George Wash- 
ington. 

1755 July 9, Gen. Edward Braddock defeated; commissioners ap- 

pointed to open a road from the Delaware to the Ohio ; 
David Rittenhouse constructs his orrery ; Irish settlement 
at Great Cove destroyed ; settlements at Tulpehocken at- 
tacked. 

1756 Quakers withdraw from political activity; Gen. John Arm- 

strong's expedition to Kittanning. 

1757 Franklin in London as agent of Pennsylvania; destruction of 

Dunker settlement on Cheat River; Baron Stiegel estab- 
lishes a manufactory for flint glassware at Manheim, Lan- 
caster County. 

1758 October 23, Fourth Indian treaty with Six Nations at Easton ; 

December, first Fort Pitt built. 

1759 Company for Insurance on Lives [Presbyterian] founded; 

Red Stone Old Fort erected. 

1760 George III., King of England. 

1762 Settlers from Connecticut arrive at Wyoming and are at- 

tacked by the Indians; anthracite coal discovered in 
Wyoming ; November 26, first School of Anatomy in North 
America opened by Dr. William Shippen at Philadelphia. 

1763 Pontiac's war; battle of Bushy Run by Col. Bouquet; Mason 

and Dixon's Line begun; December 27, murder of Mo- 
ravian Indians at Lancaster by "Paxton Boys"; John Penn 
[son of Richard], Governor. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 23 

1764 January, "Paxton Boys" threaten Philadelphia, but are turned 

back at Germantown; Col. Bouquet's expedition against 
the Ohio Indians; first Medical School established in the 
colonies. 

1765 March, Stamp Act passed; Pittsburg laid out; Robert Fulton 

born at Little Britain, Lancaster County. 

1766 Anthracite coal from Wyoming sent to England ; House of 

Employment built. 

1767 John Dickinson publishes his "Farmer's Letters." 

1768 November 5, Fifth Indian treaty with Six Nations at Fort 

Stanwix. 

1769 June 3, Transit of Venus observed by Rittenhouse; November 

9, observed transit of Mercury ; Obediah Gore burns an- 
thracite coal in his smith forge; Pennamite War, lasted 
to 1771. 
1771 January 17, Charles Brockden Brown born, Philadelphia; 
"Pennsylvania Packet" [weekly] begun by John Dunlap, 
became first daily newspaper in America under D. C. Clay- 
poole, 1774; Richard Penn, Governor. 

1773 John Penn [second time]. Governor; Wilkesbarre named; 

Oliver Evans suggests steam as a motor for land carriage ; 
December 27, tea ship "Polly" turned back. 

1774 Boundary dispute with Lord Dunmore of Virginia; September 

5, first Continental Congress meets in Carpenters' Hall, 
Philadelphia ; September 22, preliminary Non-Importation 
resolve passed by Continental Congress ; November 17, 
First Troop Philadelphia City Calvary formed; first so- 
ciety formed for promoting abolition of slavery. 

1775 May 10, Second Continental Congress meets; June 15, Wash- 

ington appointed Commander-in-Chief; June 30, Commit- 
tee of Safety formed ; July 19, "Experiment," first boat of 
Pennsylvania Navy, launched ; Congress issues paper 
money. 

1776 May 8, River fight with British vessels "Roebuck" and "Liver- 

pool" ; July 4, Declaration of Independence, State House, 
Philadelphia ; July 23, Council of Safety formed ; Septem- 
ber 28, first State Constitution of Pennsylvania ; December 
26, battle of Trenton. 

1777 January 3, Battle of Princeton; March 4, Pennsylvania State 

Government formed ; June 14, National flag made by Betsy 



24 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Ross adopted by Congress; September ii, battle of the 
Brandywine ; September 20, Paoli Massacre ; September 26, 
British occupation of Philadelphia ; September 27, Congress 
removed to Lancaster; 30, to York; October 4, battle of 
Germantown; October 22, defeat of Hessians at Fort 
Mercer, Red Bank; November 16, Fort Mifflin captured 
by the British; December 19, American Army goes into 
winter quarters at Valley Forge. 

1778 May 18, Fete of the Meschianza; June 18, British evacuate 

Philadelphia ; June 28, battle of Monmouth Court House ; 
July 2-4, Wyoming Massacre ; December, Grand Lodge of 
Pennsylvania Free Masons reorganized; General Mc- 
intosh's expedition. 

1779 Gen. SulHvan's expedition up the Susquehanna; Col. Brod- 

head's expedition to the Indian towns on the Allegheny ; 
Royal Charter annulled. 

1780 January i. Last delivery of two beaver skins at Windsor Castle 

by the Proprietaries on account of the Province; first 
abolition act of America providing that slavery be abolished 
in Pennsylvania ; Humane Society of Philadelphia in- 
stituted. 

1781 January, Revolt of the Pennsylvania Line ; February 20, Robert 

Morris, Superintendent of Finance ; May 26, Bank of 
North America incorporated by Congress ; September 2-4, 
American and French army passes through Philadelphia. 

1782 First English Bible in America printed by Robert Aitken. 

1783 Dickinson College, Carlisle, incorporated. 

1784 April II, Boundary adjustment between Pennsylvania and 

Virginia ratified ; October 23, sixth Indian treaty with Six 
Nations at Fort Stanwix; P. E. diocese of Pennsylvania 
organized, William White, first bishop. 

1785 Albert Gallatin purchases land on the Monongahela and estab- 

lishes glass works ; Depreciation Lands offered for sale ; 
Harrisburg founded; July i, Philadelphia Society for Pro- 
moting Agriculture organized ; September 2^, first Gen- 
eral Convention of P. E. Church at Philadelphia ; Septem- 
ber, John Fitch exhibits models of a steamboat before the 
American Philosophical Society. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 25 

1786 Donation Lands opened; first American Dispensary founded 

by Dr. Benjamin Rush ; July 2'j, John Fitch navigates a 
steam vessel on the Delaware. 

1787 Convention to frame Constitution of the United States sits in 

Philadelphia ; March 10, German High School [Franklin 
College] at Lancaster chartered ; Pennsylvania Society for 
the encouragement of manufacturers and the useful arts 
organized. 

1788 Moravian Society for Propagating the Gospel among the 

Heathen incorporated. 

1789 September 29, New York boundary line ratified ; Lucian's 

"Dialogues," the first Greek book printed in America by 
Joseph James at Philadelphia. 

1790 Philadelphia becomes Capital of the United States ; Gen. 

Harmar's expedition against the Miami Indians ; John 
Fitch's steamboat makes regular trips on the Delaware ; 
second State Constitution; April 17, Franklin dies at 
Philadelphia. 

1 79 1 February 25, First Bank of the United States established at 

Philadelphia ; State system of internal improvements com- 
menced. 

1792 First Turnpike Company in the United States incorporated, 

Philadelphia to Lancaster ; April 2, first U. S. Mint estab- 
lished at Philadelphia; April 19, Schuylkill & Delaware 
Canal chartered, first public canal in the United States; 
deed of confirmation of Erie triangle from the United 
States. 

1793 March 4, Washington inaugurated President at Philadelphia; 

Gen. Wayne's campaign against the Indians ; May 16, 
Citizen Genet arrives at Philadelphia ; great epidemic of 
yellow fever at Philadelphia, total deaths about 5,000; 
Washington and Federal officers retire to Germantown ; 
French refugees arrive from San Domingo ; Bank of Penn- 
sylvania chartered. 

1794 Whiskey insurrection in Western Pennsylvania; Pennsyl- 

vania Blue Laws passed ; packet boats run between Pitts- 
burg and Cincinnati. 

1795 February 9, John Penn, formerly proprietary Governor, died 

at Philadelphia ; November 4, schooner "White Fish," built 



26 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

at Presqu' Isle, arrives at Philadelphia: first vessel to 
demonstrate transportation could be established between 
Lake Erie and the Hudson. 
1/97 March 4, John Adams inaugurated President at Philadelphia; 
National Academy of Painting and Sculpture instituted 
at Philadelphia. 

1798 Fries's insurrection [Hot Water or House Tax Rebellion] ; yel- 

low fever epidemic. 

1799 Seat of State Government removed to Lancaster. 

1800 Seat of Federal Government removed from Philadelphia to 

Washington. 
1802 Anthracite coal first burned in grates in Philadelphia. 

1804 First bituminous coal sent down the Susquehanna; first cotton 

carded and spun at Pittsburg by carding and spinning 
jenny ; first steam dredging machine for cleaning docks 
constructed by Oliver Evans ; frigate "Philadelphia" 
burned by Decatur in harbor of Tripoli. 

1805 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts founded ; first agency in 

United States for sale of American manufactures estab- 
lished in Philadelphia by Elijah Waring. 

1807 Manufacture of carbonated water introduced into the United 
States at Philadelphia by Joseph Hawkins. 

1S08 First flint glass manufactured at Pittsburg by Bakewell & Co. ; 
Roman Catholic diocese of Philadelphia created. 

1809 September, Experimental railroad set up at Bull's Head 
Tavern, Third street above Callowhill, Philadelphia, the 
first laid down in America; Thomas and George Leiper 
build railroad at their quarries in Delaware Co. 

181 1 October 29, First steamboat leaves Pittsburg for New Orleans. 

1812 Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, founded; seat of 

State Government removed to Harrisburg; May 12, Stephen 
Girard purchases building of the U. S. Bank, Philadelphia. 

1813 Perry's f^eet built at Erie in seventy days ; meets and defeats the 

British September 10. 

1814 First successful experiment made in the use of anthracite coal 

in an iron furnace. 

181 5 Schuylkill Navigation Co. chartered. 

18 16 First steam paper mill in the United States started at Pitts- 

burg ; Second Bank of the United States organized ; Afri- 
can M. E. Church formed at Philadelphia. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 27 

1818 First School District [County of Philadelphia] established; 

first light-house on Great Lakes at Presqu' Isle; Model 
[Normal] School for teachers, Philadelphia, Joseph Lan- 
caster, principal, first training school for teachers in the 
United States ; Lehigh coal advertised for sale. 

1819 March 9, Destruction of Masonic Hall, Philadelphia, by fire. 

1820 Regular shipments of anthracite coal begun. 

1822 First cylinders for printing calico engraved in the United 

States at Philadelphia. 

1823 March 31, First railway act in America passed by General As- 

sembly of Pennsylvania. 

1824 December 2, Historical Society of Pennsylvania organized. 

1825 Schuylkill Canal completed from Philadelphia to Mt. Carbon. 
1827 Paper made from straw at Meadville by Col. William Magraw ; 

Society for the Promotion of Public Schools organized at 
Philadelphia. 

1829 First locomotive in the United States used on Carbondale and 

Honesdale road. 

1830 James Gillespie Blaine born, West Brownsville. 

1 83 1 Girard College founded. 

1832 National Anti-Masonic Convention meets in Philadelphia. 

1833 American Anti-Slavery Society formed at Philadelphia. 

1834 Railroad and canal communication opened to Pittsburg; com- 

mon school system established. 

1838 October 26, Central High School for Boys, Philadelphia, 

opened ; Third State Constitution ; Buckshot war ; May 
27, abolition riots, destruction of Pennsylvania Hall, Phila- 
delphia. 

1839 Whig National Convention met at Harrisburg. 

1840 Scranton laid out as a city. 

1843 William Pepper born, Philadelphia ; Roman Catholic diocese 

of Pittsburg created. 

1844 Native American riots, Roman Catholic churches burned. 

1845 George M. Dallas, of Pennsylvania, Vice-President of the 

United States ; April 10, great fire in Pittsburg. 

1848 Whig National Convention met at Philadelphia. 

1849 Delaware circle resurveyed. 

1850 State Judiciary made elective. 

1 85 1 July 9, Great fire in Philadelphia. 



28 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

1852 Dr. Kane's Arctic expedition ; Pennsylvania State Teachers' 

Association organized at Harrisburg; Free Soil National 
Convention at Pittsburg. 

1853 February, Pennsylvania Railroad opened to Pittsburg ; Roman 

Catholic diocese of Erie created. 

1854 Consolidation of the City and Liberties of Philadelphia, the 

first of the kind in America. 

1856 First Republican National Convention met in Philadelphia. 

1857 James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, President of the United 

States; July 31, State sells main line of transportation 
works to the Pennsylvania R. R. Co. ; financial panic. 

1859 August 29, Col. E. L. Drake successfully bored for petroleum ; 
first State Normal School opened at Millersville. 

i860 Dr. Hayes's Arctic Expedition. 

1861 April 16, Pennsylvania Troops first to reach Washington. 

1862 Chambersburg raided by Confederates under Gen. J. E. B. 

Stuart. 

1863 July I, 2, 3, Battle of Gettysburg. 

1864 Chambersburg burned by McCausland's Confederate Cavalry. 

1865 P- E. diocese of Pittsburg organized. 

1868 Roman Catholic dioceses of Scranton and Harrisburg created. 

1871 P. E. diocese of Central Pennsylvania organized. 

1872 Republican National Convention met in Philadelphia. 

1873 Fourth State Constitution. 

1875 Roman Catholic Province of Philadelphia created, James F. 

Wood, first archbishop. 

1876 Centennial International Exhibition at Philadelphia. 

1877 Great railroad riots. 

1881 William Pepper, Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, 

resigns, 1894. 

1882 Bi-Centennial of Landing of William Penn celebrated at 

Philadelphia. 

1883 Bi-Centennial of the founding of Germantown. 

1889 June I, Johnstown flood. 

1890 April 15, New York boundary approved by Congress. 

1891 April 15, Pennsylvania-German Society organized at Lancaster. 

1893 Adjustment of the Delaware boundary. 

1894 The Philadelphia Museums organized. 

1895 Compulsory education law approved. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 29 

1897 International Commercial Conference at Philadelphia; Febru- 

ary 2, State Capitol at Harrisburg burned. 

1898 April 25, The Pennsylvania Society (New York) organized. 

1899 National Export Exposition at Philadelphia; State Free Li- 

brary Commission created. 

1900 Republican National Convention meets in Philadelphia; Wil- 

liam McKinley, of Pennsylvania ancestry, nominated for 
President. 

1901 State Department of Forestry established; Roman Catholic 

diocese of Altoona created. 

1902 Strike of anthracite coal miners, 147,000 men on strike for five 

months. 

1903 State Highway Department, Departments of Fisheries and 

of Mines established. 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, 1823. 



30 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



CHAPTER 11. 

Description. 

2. Physical Features. — Pennsylvania is bounded on the north 
by Lake Erie and New York ; on the east by New York and New 
Jersey, on the south by Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia; 
on the west by West Virginia and Ohio. Its eastern boundary is the 
Delaware River ; its other limits are determined by parallels of lati- 
tude and meridians of longitude. It lies between latitude 39° 43' and 
42° 15' N., and longitude 74° 40' and 80° 36' W. It is 302 miles long 
in the longest parts from east to west, and 175 miles wide. It has a 
coast line of 50 miles on Lake Erie, and an area of 45,215 square 
miles. Its population in 1900 was 6,302,115. 

Physically the State is divided into two nearly equal parts by the 
Alleghany Mountains, popularly known as Eastern and Western 
Pennsylvania, and widely differing in surface and in geological 
structure. In the southeast corner is an open country lying between 
the South Mountain and the Delaware River ; a series of parallel 
valleys occupy the centre of the State, and in the west, beyond the 
Alleghany Mountains, is an elevated plateau with an average height 
of 2,000 feet above the sea. The chief river is the Delaware, which 
is navigable by the largest vessels as far as Philadelphia, 96 miles 
from its mouth, and into which flow the Schuylkill and Lehigh rivers 
and many lesser streams. The Susquehanna, which cuts the State 
in two beyond the South Mountain, is the largest river within its 
boundary, but it is only navigable at high water in spring and 
autumn ; its chief tributary is the Juniata. In the southwest the 
Allegheny and Monongahela rivers unite to form the Ohio. The 
surface of the State is exceedingly rich and diversified, including 
many fertile valleys admirably adapted to agricultural pursuits, and 
brought to a high grade of cultivation. Pennsylvania contains many 
extensive mineral deposits, especially coal, iron and petroleum. 
Natural gas has been used in the State for manufacturing purposes 
since 1874. No Eastern State contains forests of such varied and 
abundant timber. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 31 

3. Geology. — The geological divisions of the State include the 
Older Appalachian Belt, lying east and south of the South Mountain, 
a comparatively level country, with valleys of moderate depth and 
soil of extraordinary fertility; the Newer Appalachian Belt to the 
north and west of this region, a newer mountain system with ridges 
and intervening valleys, many of the latter with almost parallel sides : 
here are deposits of limestone, slate, iron ore and anthracite coal ; and 
the Alleghany Plateau in the far western part of the State, containing 
petroleum, natural gas and bituminous coal. 

Western Pennsylvania is an unbroken bituminous coal field; 
eastern Pennsylvania is a labyrinth of parallel and interlocked 
mountains and valleys of Devonian and Silurian age, and partly open 
country of older Cambrian or Primordial, Azoic or Fundamental 
strata, across which runs a broad belt of Triassic or Mesozoic brown 
stone and trap. Cretaceous rocks underlying a narrow strip along 
the Delaware River below Trenton, and a mantel of glacial drift (the 
Terminal Moraine) cover the surface of the northern part of the 
State between lines drawn from Belvedere on the Delaware River 
to Olean, N. Y., and through Franklin and Beaver to the Ohio State 
line north of the Ohio River. 

The State originally contained much higher mountains than now 
remain within it, the entire surface having been weathered down to 
the present levels. The Pittsburg coal beds once spread over south- 
western Pennsylvania from the Ohio River to the Alleghany Mount- 
ains, and formerly came much further eastward, some of the 
anthracite beds being apparently identical with it. The anthracite 
beds in the east are contained in three chief coal fields, the Schuylkill, 
the Lehigh and the Wyoming, each being narrow basins. The 
bituminous coal beds cover the western third of the State in six 
parallel basins. The Great Valley — a region of great fertility — 
runs across the State before the Blue Mountains ; it has two beds of 
soil: slate next the Blue Mountains and limestone next the South 
Mountain. 

4. Title. — Section i of the Constitution of 1776 contains the 
expression "The Commonwealth or State of Pennsylvania shall be 
governed." Other sections of the same instrument contain the ex- 
pressions "And whereas the inhabitants of this Commonwealth have," 
etc. ; and again, "Of the people of this State." The constitutions of 
1790, 1838 and 1873 begin "We, the people of the Commonwealth of 
Pennsylvania." The words "Commonwealth" and "State" are used 



32 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



interchangeably in all these instruments and are without distinction in 
meaning. The word "Commonwealth" in Pennsylvania stands for 
the designation of the Government. The limitations of the powers 
of Government are defined in the Constitution established and or- 
dained by the people, and in the Constitution the Government is 
called a Commonwealth. 

Article IV., Section 22 of the present Constitution provides that 
"All commissions shall be in the name and by the authority of the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and be sealed with the State seal 
and signed by the Governor." 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, I778. 



5. state Divisions. — Pennsylvania is divided into 6"] counties, 
56 judicial districts, 50 senatorial districts, and 32 congressional 
districts. The State House of Representatives has 204 members. 

Counties. — No new counties may be established that are less 
than 400 square miles in area, or contain less than 20,000 inhabitants 
or which reduce an existing county to less area or less population. 
The county has important local powers, possessing authority to erect 
public buildings, construct bridges over which it may have assumed 
control, and levy taxes. The powers of the county are vested in 
three County Commissioners, elected for three years. The commis- 



'"::»&■■' 



.•Sfp-i ' 



k 









^;!Ml" 




Oh 



> 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



33 



sioners correct, if necessary, the assessment or valuation of property, 
lay the county tax and fix the rate, have power to borrow money, 
appoint the mercantile appraisers, fill vacancies in the office of as- 
sessor by appointment, and appoint attorneys to act as county 
solicitors. No person can vote for more than two candidates for 
office of County Commissioner. 

The jurors are chosen from the general body of electors of the 
county by a board composed of the law judge and two commissioners 
elected so as to represent different political parties. 

The county officers, some of whom are established by the Con- 
stitution and others by legislative enactment, include the sheriff, 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS^ 1805. 



coroner, prothonotary, register of wills, recorder of deeds, jury com- 
missioners, commissioners, treasurer, surveyor, auditors or controller, 
clerk of the courts, solicitor, district attorney, directors of the poor 
and superintendent of schools. 

The three county auditors audit all accounts and report to the 
Court of Common Pleas ; they see that taxes are collected, properly 
accounted for and no illegal payments made. In counties of over 
150,000 a controller is elected to perform the duties of the auditors. 
School funds, statistics and reports are sent to the county commis- 
sioners and thence to the State authorities. In counties of 150,000 
inhabitants the county officers receive salaries, and all fees are turned 
into the treasury. Officers in counties with less than 150,000 in- 
habitants receive fees or daily compensation. 



34 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Townships, (§78B). — The counties are divided into townships, 
which form the poHtical unit, and whose number depends on the size 
and population of the county. They are of two classes ; townships 
of the first class have a population of at least 300 to the square mile ; 
townships of less population form the second class. The township 
lays the school taxes, determined by the school board, the township 
and school district being generally identical ; it also levies the 
road tax laid by the road supervisors. Where the county has 
no poorhouse the township lays a poor tax and appoints overseers of 
the poor. The corporate power is vested in the Board of Township 
Commissioners, at least five in number, elected for two years. If the 
population is more than 5,000 an additional commissioner is chosen 
for each 2,000 population. The courts may erect new townships, 



PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, iSOQ. 

change the boundaries of or divide those already erected if the 
majority of the voters so determine. Each township contains one or 
more election precincts. 

The township officers are township commissioners, constable, 
assessors, treasurer, town clerk, three auditors, tax collector, school 
directors, overseers of the poor and road supervisors and justices of 
the peace. 

School Districts (§78B) are established in the townships for 
the consideration of minor affairs by the local directors subject to the 
approval of the township school board. 

Boroughs. — Incorporated towns are called boroughs. They are 
formed whenever a district becomes so thickly populated as to need a 
government different from the township and are incorporated on 
detition to the court signed by a majority of the inhabitants of the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



35 



proposed borough, which must contain not less than 300 persons. 
The petition must be approved at the next term of court, and 
recorded in the recorder's office. 

The legislative department is vested in the town council, one- 
third being elected annually for three years. Large boroughs may 
be divided into wards by the courts of quarter sessions, and in such 
cases there are two or three councilmen from each ward. The laws 
adopted by the council are called ordinances. The burgess is the 
executive officer ; he has the criminal power of a justice in enforcing 
ordinances and for that purpose only is ex-officio a justice of the 
peace. He signs or vetoes the ordinances passed by the council, but 
his veto can be overruled by a two-thirds vote ; he is not eligible to 
re-election to the next succeeding term. The burgess is elected by 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, 182O. 



the people for three years ; the borough treasurer and borough 
solicitor are chosen by the borough council. The borough board of 
health is appointed by the burgess with the approval of the council. 
Cities. — A city is formed from a borough of 10,000 or more 
inhabitants. A general law (May 8, 1889) classifies the cities 
throughout the State in three classes : 

First Class, with a population of 1,000,000 or more. 

Second Class, with a population of 100,000 to 1,000.000. 

Third Class, with a population of 10,000 to 100,000. 
City charters are general laws applicable to each class of cities 
throughout the State. 

The corporate authority is vested in the mayor and councils. 
The mayor is the chief executive officer in cities of the first class ; he 
is chosen by the people for four years and cannot succeed himself. 
He signs ordinances or vetoes them, and they can only be passed over 



36 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



the veto by a two-thirds vote of both councils. He has the powers 
of a justice of the peace, and may hold daily courts, but actually he 
delegates that duty to magistrates. His term of office in cities of 
the other classes is three years ; he cannot be elected for two con- 
secutive terms. 

The councils form the legislative branch of the city government. 
They consist of a select and a common council. Cities are divided 
into wards for convenience and thickly settled wards into election 
precincts. The select council usually consists of one member from each 
ward, elected for four years. The common council has two members 
from each ward chosen for two years. The councils fix the rate of tax 
and appropriate money for city expenses. No debt shall be contracted 




SEAL OF PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, I 



nor liability incurred by a city or municipal commission except for an 
appropriation previously made by the municipal government. The 
city must establish a sinking fund for the extinction of its funded 
debt. Ordinances must not conflict with the general law and they 
have no force without city limits. 

Other officers of cities are a Director of the Department of 
Public Safety (with which is connected the Board of Health), 
Director of the Department of Public Works, Receiver of Taxes, 
President of the Board of Education, President of the Department 
of Charities and Correction, Sinking Fund Commission, City Treas- 
urer, City Controller, City Auditor, constables, aldermen, assessors, 
etc. The officers of cities of the second and third classes are not so 
numerous as those of the first class. 



iSgo. 


1900. 


1,046,964 


1,293,697 


238,617 


321,616 


105,287 


129,896 


75.215 


102,026 


58,661 


78,961 


40,634 


5^,733 


37,718 


51-721 


39,385 


50,167 


32,011 


41.459 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 37 

Cities incorporated before the classification legislation can adopt 
it or not; most of them have done so; those adhering to their old 
charters have each special provisions. 

6. Cities and Towns. — Pennsylvania contains (1900) 833 
incorporated cities and boroughs, of which 93 have a population of 
more than 5,000 each. The following list includes the largest cities 
and their population for three decades : 



1880. 

Philadelphia 847,170 

Pittsburg 156,389 

Allegheny 78,682 

Scranton 45,850 

Reading 43,278 

Erie '^7,7^1 

Wilkesbarre 23,339 

Harrisburg 30,762 

Lancaster 25,769 



Philadelphia. — Philadelphia is the chief city of Pennsylvania 
and the third city of the United States ; it was the second city until 
the census of 1890. It is situated at the junction of the Delaware 
and Schuylkill rivers, at latitude 39° 57' 7.5" N., and longitude 75° 
9' 23.4" W. It covers about 129 square miles, and v/as founded and 
named in 1682 by William Penn, whose first charter is dated 3d 
month 20, 1691, in which Humphrey Morrey is named as the "present 
Mayor." Edward Shippen was the first Mayor under the charter 
creating it a borough city granted by Penn October 25, 1701. The 
city was governed by this document until February 17, 1776, 
although it was modified several times. During the Revolution its 
affairs were administered by Committees of Safety and local bodies. 
The first State charter was dated March 11, 1789 ; the "Consolidation 
Act" of. February 2, 1854, made the boundaries of Philadelphia city 
and Philadelphia county identical and brought the independent sur- 
rounding districts, liberties and townships of the county under the 
city government. The latest charter of the city, which is a general 
law governing cities of the first class, is known as the "Bullitt Bill," 
from its originator, John C. Bullitt, Esq. ; it was approved June i, 
1885, ^"d became operative on the first Monday of April, 1887. The 
seat of the Government of Pennsylvania was fixed at Philadelphia 
March 12, 1683, and it continued to be the capital for 116 years. 
During the Revolution it was the virtual capital of the Colonies, and 



38 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



was the scene of many notable events. It was occupied by the British 
forces from September 26, 1777, to June 18, 1778, and was the capital 
of the United States from December, 1790, to the summer of 1800. 

Historic Buildings. — Independence Hall; known as the State- 
house prior to July 4, 1776. Built 1732- 1753. First used by the 
Assembly of Pennsylvania in October, 1735, and used as State- 
house until 1777; British hospital and prison, September 26, 1777, to 
June 18, 1778; used by the Continental Congress, 1775-1783; Decla- 
ration of Independence agreed to July 2, 1776, adopted, July 4, 1776; 
Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union signed by eight 
States, July 9, 1778, fully ratified, March i, 1781 ; Federal Conven- 
tion to frame Constitution of the United States, May 14 to September 
17, 1787; Pennsylvania State Convention approves the same, Decem- 




SEAL OF CITY OP PHILADELPHIA, I7OI. 



ber 12, 1787; State Convention to frame State Constitution, July 15 
to September 28, 1776, and in 1790. 

Carpenters' Hall. Built 1770-1792. Meeting place of the first 
Continental Congress, September 5, 1774; headquarters of the Penn- 
sylvania "Committees of Correspondence;" Provincial Convention 
meets for State Government, 1776; Philadelphia Library Company, 
1 773- 1 790; Bank of the United States, 1 791 -1797; United States 
Custom House, 1798, 1802- 18 19. 

Hall of the American Philosophical Society, Independence 
Square; built 1 785-1 789. 

Gloria Dei ; old Swedes' Church ; built May 23, 1698, to July 2, 
1700. 

Christ Church; begun April 2y, 1727; tower built, 1753-1754. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



39 



Penn's cottage (formerly in Letitia Court) ; now removed to 
Fairmount Park; built for William Penn by Markham, 1681-1682. 

Bartram's Garden ; first botanical garden in America ; laid out 
by John Bartram (b. March 23, 1699, d. September 22, 1777) ; house 
built, 1 73 1. 

Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street ; first American flag said to 
have been made here by Mrs. Ross; adopted June 14, 1777. 




CHEW HOUSE, GERMANTOWN, I760. 



Congress Hall ; northwest corner of Independence Square ; built 
1788-1789. Seat of U. S. Congress from December, 1790, to 1800; 
George Washington inaugurated President here March 4, 1793; 
John Adams inaugurated March 4, 1797 ; it was in this building that 
the Constitution of the United States first went into practical 
operation. 

Germantown ; site purchased by F. D. Pastorius, August 12, 
1683 ; located October 24, 1683 ; surveyed March 2, 1684 ; incorpo- 
rated as a borough 1691 ; contains many houses of historic interest ; 
notably the Chew house or Cliveden, where the fight was thickest in 



40 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



the Battle of Germantown ; the Wister house or Grumblethorpe, 
headquarters of General Agnew; Stenton house, homestead of the 
Logan family; headquarters of General Howe; Morris house, 5442 
Germantown Avenue, occupied by President Washington, November 

I, 1793. 

Fairmount Park contains a number of historic mansions, and 

others are in the outskirts of the city. 




<i£ ^J " '27/ • 



^ :£S£:^^2^^:^^-5^''^^^i^ 




MORRIS HOUSE, GERMANTOWN, X'J'Jl-Y'J'J'^^. 



Pittsburg. — Pittsburg is the second largest city of Pennsylvania. 
It is situated at the forks of the Ohio, formed by the confluence of 
the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, in latitude 40° 35' N., and 
longitude 39° 38' W. As early as November 24, 1753, its site had 
appealed to Washington as suitable for a fort which would command 
both rivers. Captain William Trent, commissioned by Governor 
Dinwiddie of Virginia, began a fort at the forks of the Ohio under 
the auspices of the Ohio Company, February 17, 1754; it was sur- 
rendered to the French under Contrecoeur April 16, 1754, by Ensign 
Edward Ward, then in command. Fort Duquesne was immediately 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



41 



begun, and was burned and abandoned by the French November 24, 
1758, and the remains taken possession of by General John Forbes 
the next day. The first Fort Pitt was built in December, 1758, on an 
adjoining site; the second and larger fort v;as built by General John 




SKETCH MAP OF FORT DUQUESNE. 

I. Mohongalo River. 2. Fort Duquesne or Pittsburg. 3. The Small 

Fort. 4. Allegany River. 5. Allegany Indian Town. 6. Shanapins. 7. 

Yauyaugany River. 8. Ohio or Allegany River. 9. Logs Town. 10. 

Beavor Creek. 11. Kuskuskies, the Chief Town of the Six Nations. 12. 

Shingoes Town. 13. Alleguippes. 14. Sennakaas. — The Arrows show the 
course of the Rivers. 



Stanwix in 1759. A blockhouse or redoubt outside the fort, built by 
Colonel Henry Bouquet, in 1764, is still standing. Pittsburg was the 
name given to the place the day following the fall of Fort Duquesne, 
in honor of William Pitt, earl of Chatham. It was abandoned by the 



42 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

English in October, 1772. A part of the town was laid out in 1765 
by Colonel John Campbell ; the survey of the manor of Pittsburg was 
completed March 27, and returned May 19, 1769. It was incorpo- 
rated as a borough April 22, 1794, and erected a city March 18, 1816. 
The "Southside" was consolidated with Pittsburg April 2, 1872. On 
April 10, 1845, 56 acres, of its area, including nearly all the best 
business portion, were destroyed by fire. Pittsburg is the leading 
iron, steel and glass manufacturing centre in the United States. 
Braddock's battlefield is seven miles from Pittsburg, on the right 
bank of the Monongahela. 




o ^'-"^ 
/^ 
G ermari Tov^vCP^j^ 
•1691 

Allegheny. — Allegheny is situated on the west bank of the 
Allegheny River opposite Pittsburg, and socially and commercially 
is a part of that city. It was laid out under a State law of 1787. It 
became a borough April 14, 1828, and received a city charter April 
13, 1840. 

Scranton. — Scranton is the county seat of Lackawanna County, 
and is situated on the Lackawanna River. The first cabin on this 
site was built in May, 1788, by Philip Abbott. The town was 
founded in 1840 by Colonel George W., Selden T., and Joseph Scran- 
ton, from whom it derived its name. Its city charter was granted 
April 23, 1866. 

Reading. — Reading is the county seat of Berks County and is 
on the Schuylkill River. It was named for the borough of Reading, 
Berkshire, England, and was laid out in 1748 by the agents of 
Richard and Thomas Penn. It was made the capital of the county 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 43 

when it was erected in 1752, It was incorporated as a borough 
September 12, 1783, and as a city March 16, 1847. The original set- 
tlers were Germans from Wiirtemberg and the Palatinate, and Ger- 
man is still the language of a large part of its population. 

Erie. — Erie, the county seat of Erie County, is situated at the 
northwest corner of the State on Lake Erie. The city is built on 
the site of Fort Presqu' Isle, built by the French expedition of 
January, 1753, by the Marquis Duquesne; it was probably finished 
in June, 1753. The city was laid out by authority of the Legislature 
in April, 1795 ; it was named as the county seat March 12, 1800, but 
the courts were not organized until April, 1803, and the borough was 
incorporated in 1805. Erie harbor is one of the best on the great 
lakes. It was here that Commodore Perry had his headquarters, and 
from whence he sailed to defeat the British in the battle of Lake 
Erie, September 10, 1813. It became a city April 14, 1851. 

Wilkesbarre. — Wilkesbarre is the county seat of Luzerne 
County, and is on the east bank of the north branch of the Sus- 
quehanna River. It was named in honor of John Wilkes and 
Isaac Barre, two members of the British Parliament who had zeal- 
ously advocated the cause of the American Revolution, and was laid 
out by Colonel John Durkee in 1772. It was incorporated as a 
borough in 1806 and as a city in 1871. It is about in the centre of 
the celebrated Wyoming Valley. 

Harrisburg. — Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, is sit- 
uated on the east bank of the Susquehanna. It was founded 1762 
by John Harris, whose father, John Harris, received grants of land 
from the proprietaries of Pennsylvania at this site January i, 1725/ 

26, and December 17, 1733. Laid out in 1785, it was then made the 
county seat of Dauphin County, and was created a borough April 
13, 1791. An act of 1810 designated it as the capital of the State, 
and the offices of the State Government were removed to it in 181 2. 
The city charter was given in i860. 

Lancaster. — Lancaster is the county seat of Lancaster County, 
and is near the west bank of Conestoga Creek. It was laid out as a 
town by Governor Gordon in 1730; it became a seat of justice in 
1734, and was incorporated as a borough in 1742 and as a city in 
1 818. Congress repaired to Lancaster for a few days in 1777, re- 
moving to York, September 11, 1777, where it remained until June 

27, 1778. It was the capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812. The 



44 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

State Assembly held its sessions here from September i8, 1777, to 
June 25, 1778, during the occupation of Philadelphia by the British. 

7. Capital of the State. — Philadelphia was the capital of 
Pennsylvania until 1799, except in 1777, when the Assembly removed 
to Lancaster on its occupation by the British. A resolution for re- 
moval to Harrisburg was adopted by the Assembly in March, 1787, 
but it was almost immediately reconsidered and laid on the table. 
In February, 1795, the House of Representatives passed a resolution 
designating Carlisle as the capital of the State ; it failed in the Senate. 
In 1796 Reading and Carlisle were suggested for the capital and 
Lancaster chosen, but again the Senate failed to concur. In 1798 
Wright's Ferry or Wrightstown, York County, was proposed. 
Harrisburg was suggested instead, and was inserted in the bill by the 
Senate, but the two houses failed to agree. April 3, 1799, the 
Governor signed a bill naming Lancaster as the State capital after 
the first Monday of November, 1799; the State Legislature first met 
there on December 3 following. February 21, 1810, an act was ap- 
proved designating Harrisburg as the capital from October, 181 2. 
The Legislature held its sessions in the Court House until December, 
1 82 1, pending the erection of a building for its use. The State 
Capitol, completed in 1821, was destroyed by fire February 2, 1897. 

8. Counties. — Date of formation ; origin of name ; area ; popu- 
lation ; county seat ; how formed. 

Adams. January 22, 1800; named in honor of President John 
Adams; 531 sq. m. ; 34,496 pop.: county seat, Gettysburg (1786) ; 
formed part of York. 

Allegheny. September 24, 1788; from Delaware Indian word 
signifying fair water; 757 sq. m. ; 775,058 pop.; county seat, Pitts- 
burg (1764) ; formed part of Westmoreland and Washington. 

Armstrong. March 12, 1800; named for General John Arm- 
strong, who commanded the expedition against the Indians at 
Kittanning, 1756; 612 sq. m. : 52,551 pop.; county seat, Kittanning 
(1804) ; formed part of Allegheny, Westmoreland and Lycoming. 

Beaver. March 12, 1800; from Beaver River; 452 sq. m. ; 
56,432 pop.; county seat, Beaver (1791) ; formed part of Allegheny 
and Washington. 

Bedford. March 9, 1771 ; named by Governor John Penn in 
1776 from fort of this name within the county ; the fort was probably 
named from the Duke of Bedford under George II.; 1,003 sq. m. ; 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER 




46 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



39,468 pop.; county seat, Bedford (1766) ; formed part of Cumber- 
land. 

Berks. March 11, 1752 ; reduced to present limits, 1811 ; named 
from Berkshire, England, where the Penn family had large estates ; 
900 sq. m. ; 159,615 pop. ; county seat, Reading (1748) ; formed part 
of Philadelphia, Bucks and Lancaster. 

Blair. February 26, 1846; named for John Blair or John Blair, 



PENNSYLVANIA 

I N 

1771 




PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES IN 1 771. 



Jr.; 510 sq. m. ; 85,099 pop.; county seat, Hollidaysburg (1820); 
formed part of Huntingdon and Bedford. 

Bradford. February 21, 1810; named for William Bradford, 
former U. S. Attorney General, March 24, 1812 ; 1,162 sq. m. ; 59,403 
pop.; county seat, Towanda (1812) ; formed part of Luzerne and 
Lycoming ; originally called Ontario. 

Bucks. One of the three original counties established by Penn 
in 1682 ; named from the county in England whence came a number 
of passengers by the "Welcome;" 595 sq. m. ; 71,190 pop.; county 
seat, Doylestown (1778). 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 47 

Butler. March 12, 1800; named in honor of General Richard 
Butler, who was killed in St. Clair's defeat; 814 sq. m. ; 56,962 pop. ; 
county seat, Butler (1803) ; formed part of Allegheny. 

Cambria. March 26, 1804 ; named by early Welsh settlers, from 
mountainous parts of Wales ; 666 sq. m. ; 104,837 pop. ; county seat, 
Ebensburg (1805) ; formed part of Huntingdon, Somerset and Bed- 
ford. 

Cameron. March 29, i860; named for Hon. Simon Cameron; 
381 sq. m. ; 7,048 pop; county seat, Emporium (1861) ; formed part 
of Clinton, Elk, McKean and Potter. 

Carbon. March 13, 1843; so named on account of its coal de- 
posits; 402 sq. m. ; 44,510 pop.; county seat, Mauch Chunk (1815) ; 
formed part of Northampton and Monroe. 

Centre. February 13, 1800; from geographical position in 
centre of State; 1,227 sq. m. ; 42,894 pop.; county seat, Bellefonte 
(1795) ; formed part of Mifflin, Northumberland, Lycoming and 
Huntingdon. 

Chester. One of the three original counties. Named by Pearson 
at the request of Penn for Chester, England ; 763 sq. m. ; 95,695 pop. ; 
county seat, West Chester (1786). 

Clarion. March 11, 1839; 572 sq. m. ; 34,283 pop.; county seat, 
Clarion (1840) ; formed part of Venango and Armstrong. 

Clearfield. March 26, 1804; so called from openings in the 
forest made by Indians and called clearings by the first settlers; 
1,130 sq. m. ; 80,614 pop.; county seat Clearfield (1805); formed 
part of Lycoming. 

Clinton. June 21, 1839 ; named for De Witt Clinton ; 857 sq. m. ; 
29,197 pop.; county seat, Lock Haven (1833); formed part of 
Lycoming and Centre. 

Columbia. March 22, 1813 ; name explains itself; 479 sq. m. ; 
39,896 pop.; county seat, Bloomsburg (1802); formed part of 
Northumberland . 

Crazvford. March 12, 1800; named for General William Craw- 
ford, burned by the Indians at Sandusky, June 11, 1782 ; 1,005 sq. ni. ; 
63,643 pop.; county seat, Meadville (1795) ; formed part of Alle- 
gheny. 

Cumberland. January 27, 1750; named for county of Cumber- 
land, England ; 544 sq. m. ; 50,344 pop. ; county seat, Carlisle (1751) ; 
formed part of Lancaster. 



48 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Dauphin. March 4, 1785; named for the Dauphin of France; 
523 sq. m.; 114,443 pop.; county seat, Harrisburg (1785) ; formed 
part of Lancaster. 

Delaware. September 26, 1789; named for the river forming 
its boundary ;. 195 sq. m. ; 94,762 pop.; county seat, Media (1849) I 
formed lower part of original Chester County. 

Elk. April 18, 1843 ; named from the Elk which wintered in 
parts of this county ; 774 sq. m. ; 32,903 pop. ; county seat, Ridgway 
(1843) ; formed part of Jefiferson, McKean and Clearfield. 




PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES IN I772-I773. 



Erie. March 12, 1800; from the lake upon which it lies; ^^2 
sq. m. ; 98,473 pop.; county seat, Erie (1795) ; formed part of Alle- 
gheny. 

Fayette. September 26, 1783 ; named for Marquis de Lafayette ; 
830 sq. m. ; 110,412 pop.; county seat, Uniontown (1767) ; formed 
part of Westmoreland. 

Forest. April 11, 1848; evidently from its lumber industry; 
431 sq. m. ; 11,039 pop- i county seat, Tionesta (1852) ; formed part 
of Jefferson and (from October 31, 1866) Venango. 




i_«4 



Keen's Map of New Sweden, between 1638 and 1655. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



49 



Franklin. April 9, 1784; named for Benjamin Franklin; 756 sq. 
m. ; 54,902 pop. ; county seat, Chambersburg (1764) ; formed part of 
Cumberland, 

Fulton. April 19, 1850; 442 sq. m. ; 9,924 pop.; named for 
Robert Fulton ; county seat, McConnellsburg (1786) ; formed part of 
Bedford. 

Greene. February 9, 1796; named for General Nathaniel 
Greene; 620 sq. m. ; 28,281 pop.; county seat, Waynesburg (1796) ; 
formed part of Washington. 

Huntingdon. September 20, 1787; named by Provost William 
Smith of the University of Pennsylvania in honor of Selina, Countess 
of Huntingdon, a benefactress of the University ; 899 sq. m. ; 34,650 
pop. ; county seat, Huntingdon (1767) ; formed part of Bedford. 




SEAL OF CHESTER COUNTY, 1683. 



Indiana. March 30, 1803; name explains itself; 828 sq. m. ; 
42,556 pop. ; county seat, Indiana (1805) ; formed part of Westmore- 
land and Lycoming. 

Jefferson. March 26, 1804 ; named for President Thomas Jeffer- 
son ; 646 sq. m. ; 59,113 pop. ; county seat, Brookville (1830) ; formed 
part of Lycoming. 

Juniata. March 2, 1831 ; from Juniata River ; 407 sq. m. ; 16,054 
pop.; county seat, Mifflintown (1791) ; formed part of Mifflin. 

Lackaivanna. August 13, 1878; from the great Lackawanna 
coal basin, an Indian word signifying "the forks of a stream;" 424 
sq. m. ; 193,831 pop.; county seat, Scranton (1840) ; formed part of 
Luzerne. 

Lancaster. May 10, 1729; owes its name to John Wright, a 
native of Lancashire, England ; 973 sq. m. ; 159,241 pop. ; county seat, 
Lancaster (1730) ; formed part of Chester. 



50 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Lazvrcnce. March 20, 1849 5 "amed for Perry's flag ship in the 
battle of Lake Erie, which was named in honor of Captain James 
Lawrence ; 376 sq. m. ; 57,042 pop. ; county seat, New Castle ( 1802) ; 
formed part of Beaver and Mercer. 

Lebanon. February 16, 1813; name of scriptural origin; 356 
sq. m. ; 53,827 pop.; county seat, Lebanon (1750) ; formed part of 
Dauphin and Lancaster. 

Lehigh. March 6, 1812; from Lehigh River; 364 sq. m. ; 
93,893 pop.; county seat, Allentown (1751) ; formed part of North- 
ampton. 

Luzerne. September 25, 1786; named for Chevalier de la 
Luzerne, then minister of France to the United States ; 926 sq. m. ; 
257,121 pop.; county seat, Wilkesbarre (1772); formed part of 
Northumberland. 

Lycoming. April 13, 1795, from Indian name of Lycoming 
Creek signifying Sandy Stream; 1,213 sq. m. ; 75,663 pop.; county 
seat, Williamsport (1796) ; formed part of Northumberland. 

McKean. March 26, 1804; named for Governor Thomas Mc- 
Kean; 1,007 sq. m. ; 51,343 pop.; county seat, Smethport (1807); 
formed part of Lycoming. 

Mercer. March 12, 1800; named for General Hugh Mercer, 
who died in the battle of Trenton ; 666 sq. m. ; 57,387 pop. ; county 
seat, Mercer (1803) ; formed part of Allegheny. 

MiMin. September 19, 1789; named for General Thomas 
Mifflin, then President of the Supreme Executive Council ; 377 sq. 
m. ; 23,160 pop.; county seat, Lewistown (1790); formed part of 
Cumberland and Northumberland. 

Monroe. April i, 1836; named for President James Monroe; 
595 sq. m. ; 21,161 pop.; county seat, Stroudsburg (1806) ; formed 
part of Northampton and Pike. 

Montgomery. September 10, 1784; named for General Richard 
Montgomery, killed at Quebec, December 31, 1775; 484 sq. m. ; 
138,995 pop.; county seat, Norristown (1784); formed part of 
Philadelphia county. 

Montour. May 3, 1850; named for Catharine Montour; 140 
sq. m. ; 15,526 pop.; county seat, Danville (1790) ; formed part of 
Columbia. 

Northampton. March 11, 1752; named by Thomas Penn ; 382 
sq. m. ; 99,687 pop.; county seat, Easton (1738); formed part of 
Bucks. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



51 



Northumberland. March 21, 1772; named after Duke of 
Northumberland; 462 sq. m. ; 90,911 pop.; county seat, Sunbury 
(1772) ; formed part of Lancaster, Cumberland, Berks, Bedford and 
Northampton. 

Perry. March 22, 1820; named for Commodore O. H. Perry; 
476 sq. m. ; 26,263 pop.; county seat. New Bloomfield (1822); 
formed part of Cumberland. 

Philadelphia (1682), City and County; one of the three orig- 
inal counties ; named by William Penn ; 130 sq. m. ; 1,293,697 pop. 

Pike. March 26, 1814; named for General Zebulon Pike, killed 
in Canada April 27, 1813; 631 sq. m. ; 8,766 pop.; county seat, 
Milford (1800) ; formed part of Wayne. 

Potter. March 26, 1804; named for General James Potter; 




SEAL OF PHILADELPHIA, 1683. 

i,07r sq. m. ; 30,621 pop. ; county seat, Coudersport (1807) ; formed 
part of Lycoming. 

Schitylkill. March i, 181 1 ; from river of same name; 840 sq. 
m. ; 172,927 pop.; county seat, Pottsville (1816) ; formed part of 
Berks and Northampton. 

Snyder. March 2, 1855 ; named for Governor Simon Snyder, 
who came from this section; 317 sq. m. ; 17,304 pop.; county seat, 
Middleburg (1800) ; formed part of Union. 

Somerset. April 17, 1795; named for Somerset. England; 
1,102 sq. m. ; 49,461 pop.; county seat, Somerset (1795); formed 
part of Bedford. 

Sullivan. March 15, 1847; named for General John Sullivan; 
434 sq. m. ; 12,134 pop.; county seat, Laporte (1850) ; formed part 
of Lycoming. 

Susquehanna. February 21, 1810; so named because the Sus- 
quehanna River first enters Pennsylvania within its limits; 828 sq. 



52 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

m. ; 40,043 pop.; county seat, Montrose (1811) ; formed part of 
Luzerne. 

Tioga. March 26, 1804; corrupted from Tiaoga, an Iroquois 
word meaning "a gate or place of entrance"; 1,124 sq. m. ; 49,086 
pop. ; county seat, Wellsboro (1806) ; formed part of Lycoming. 

Union. March 22, 1813; name explains itself; 315 sq. m. ; 17,- 
592 pop.; county seat, Lewisburg (1785); formed part of North- 
umberland. 

Venango. March 12, 1800; name is a corruption of the Indian 
word In-nan-ga-eh, from the Seneca language, having reference to a 
rude figure cut on a tree when first discovered by this tribe ; 658 
sq. m. ; 49,648 pop.; county seat, Franklin (1795) ; formed part of 
Allegheny and Lycoming. 

Warren. March 12, 1800; named for General Joseph Warren; 
914 sq. m. ; 38,946 pop.; county seat, Warren (1795) ; formed part 
of Allegheny and Lycoming. 

Washington. March 28, 1781 ; named for General George 
Washington; 889 sq. m. ; 92,181 pop.; county seat, Washington 
(1782) ; formed part of Westmoreland. 

Wayne. March 21, 1798; named for General Anthony Wayne; 
747 sq. m. ; 30,171 pop.; county seat, Honesdale (1826); formed 
part of Northampton, 

Westmoreland. February 26, 1773 ; named for county of West- 
moreland, England ; 1,046 sq. m. ; 160,175 pop. ; county seat. Greens- 
burg (1782) ; formed part of Bedford; part of purchase of 1784 
added in 1785. 

Wyoming. April 4, 1842 ; corrupted from M'chenomi, an Indian 
word signifying "extensive flats"; 403 sq. m. ; 17,152 pop.; county 
seat Tunkhannock (1790) ; formed part of Luzerne. 

York. August 19, 1749; named for the house of York, Eng- 
land; 921 sq. m. ; 116,413 pop.; county seat, York (1741) ; formed 
part of Lancaster. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 53 



CHAPTER III. 

Early History. 

Indians in Pennsylvania. — See Chapter VI. 

9. First Grants. — The earliest grant of territory now included 
within the limits of Pennsylvania was that by Queen Elizabeth to Sir 
Walter Raleigh in 1584 for lands not possessed by any Christian 
prince or inhabited by Christian people. In 1606 King James I. 
issued a patent to the London Company for lands between 34° and 
41° latitude N. In 1632 King Charles I. issued a patent to Cecilius, 
second Lord Baltimore for land bounded on the north by the 41 
parallel, and which included the whole of Delaware and a consider- 
able part of the southern portion of Pennsylvania. In 1634 the King 
issued a patent to Sir Edmund Plowden as Earl Palatine of New 
Albion for territory which embraced all of New Jersey, Maryland, 
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Long Island and adjacent islands. With 
the exception of the grant to Lord Baltimore none of these early 
grants had any influence on the later history of Pennsylvania. The 
definite English claim to this land dates from the grant of Charles 
II. to his brother the Duke of York in 1664. 

10. Discovery and First Settlements. — The earliest record 
concerning the land which comprises the States of Pennsylvania and 
Delaware dates from Henry Hudson, an English navigator in the 
employ of the Dutch East India Company who, on the memorable 
voyage in search of the northwest passage during which he discov- 
ered the Hudson River, entered Delaware Bay, at it was afterwards 
known, on August 28, 1609. He penetrated only a few miles beyond 
the capes and then withdrew. Called the South Bay and River by 
Hudson, the name Delaware is derived from Thomas West, Lord 
de la Warr, who is said, on unsupported grounds, to have visited this 
part of America. 

In 1614 a second Dutch vessel visited the bay under the com- 
mand of Captain Cornells Jacobsen Mey, who named the two capes, 
one Cape Mey (afterwards Cape May) and the other Cape Cornells. 
The first real exploration of the bay and river was made by Captain 
Cornells Hendrickson, who penetrated as far as the Schuylkill River 



54 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



in i6i6. The first European settlement on the river was made by 
Captain Mey, acting for the Dutch West India Company, in 1623, 
It was called Fort Nassau, and was on the New Jersey side, ap- 



\l^'^SC^S?M^,iiiAK'iii^''iiSiiSSZ^&,^.iii,is^ 




VISSCHER'S map of new SWEDEN, l65I. 



parently at Gloucester Point, nearly opposite Philadelphia. In 1651 
this settlement, which was never successful and a source of expense, 
was abandoned by Stuyvesant for Fort Casimir, afterwards New 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



55 



LUTHERI 




American • VirgtoifTe 




@tocff;oIm/ 

ttt^dt ttfii t^n af ^on,qt-^a^« privileg. 
BU acH A R D istti)cfm/af3,3.e3mat^yf: 

Anno M DC XCVI. 

FAC-SIMILE OF TITLE PAGE OF CAMPANIUS'S INDIAN 
CATECHISM, 1696. 



56 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Castle, in the present State of Delaware. The Dutch scarcely 
reached Pennsylvania, although they established a trading station 
in the Schuylkill Valley, called Fort Beversrede, in 1633. 

In 1629 Samuel Godyn purchased a tract of land in lower Dela- 
ware on the west side of the river. In 1630 articles of patroonship 
were agreed to by Godyn, Killiaen Van Rensselaer, Samuel Bloem- 
maert, Jan de Laet and David Pieterszen De Vries, and an expedition 
sailed for the Delaware December 12, 1630, and in 1631 established 
a settlement on the purchase made by Godyn, called Schwanendael or 
"Valley of the Swans," near the site of Lewes, Del. The colony 
was destroyed by the Indians in the same year. De Vries visited 
the Delaware, but effected no permanent settlement. The Dutch had, 
however, obtained command of both sides of the Delaware (or 
South) River by discovery and by purchase from the Indians, and 
based their later claims to this territory on these grounds. 

The earliest European settlement within the bounds of what is 
now known as Pennsylvania, was undoubtedly that on the Minisink 
flats in the vicinity of Shawnee, Monroe County, near Stroudsburg, 
and not on the lower Delaware. These settlements were by the 
Dutch from the Hudson for the purpose of mining, and who had 
cut a road 100 miles long from Esopus (Kingston) on the Hudson 
to the mine holes on the Jersey side of the Delaware. The earliest 
records of this settlement bear the date 1659. 

11. The Swedes on the Delaware. — As early as 1624 Gus- 
tavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, had been interested in a project 
for a settlement in America by William Usselinx, a merchant of Am- 



IfhJZt^Qwc^u^ 



sterdam and the founder of the Dutch West India Company ; and a 
charter was granted for this puropse to the Swedish Australian 
Company, June 14, 1626. In March, 1638, the first Swedish expedi- 
tion reached America, largely through the activity of Oxenstiern, 
chancellor of Queen Christina. It was commanded by Peter Minuit, 
a Dutchman who had been active in the early history of New York 
and who had purchased Manhattan Island from the Indians. March 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



57 




LINDSTROM'S map of new SWEDEN, 1654-165S. 



58 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

29 he made the first Swedish purchase from the Indians, of land 
on the west side of the Delaware, reaching from Boomtiens Hoeck 
(near Bombay Hook) to the Schuylkill River, and without interior 
limitations. It was called New Sweden, and Fort Christina, the first 
fort, was built on the site of the present city of Wilmington, Del. 

Ten expeditions were dispatched by the Swedes and reached the 
colony on the Delaware as follows : 
1638, March, under Minuit. 

1640, April 17. 

1 64 1, Autumn. 

1643, February 15. 

1644, March 11. 

1646, October i. 

1647, Left Sweden September 25. 
1649, Left Sweden July 3 ; lost in West Indies. 
1654, May 21. 
1656, Arrived March 14 after the capture of the colony 



9 
10 
bv the Dutch. 




AA^-^^ 



The Swedes built several forts and towns, the first settlement 
within the limits of Pennsylvania being made in 1645 ^t Molndal, 
near Cobb's Creek, a branch of Darby Creek. The colony, while it 
excited much interest in Sweden, scarcely passed beyond the experi- 
mental stage. Johan Printz is the first Swedish governor whose 
commission has been preserved; it was dated August 16, 1642; he 
was a man of note and of much activity. 

The later history of the Swedes has chiefly had an ecclesiastical 
interest. They were the first Lutherans in Pennsylvania, and when 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 59 

people of that faith began to come to the province from Germany 
they were first served by a Swedish clergyman. The connection of 
the Lutherans with Sweden lasted until the death of the Rev. Nicho- 
las Collin, pastor of the Gloria Dei Church in Philadelphia in 1831. 

12. The Dutch on the Delaware. — The Swedes had scarcely 
established themselves on the Delaware than they came in contact 
with the Dutch, who still retained forts on the river. Director- 
General Kieft, of New Amsterdam, protested against this intrusion, 
but no attention was paid to his remonstrance. In 1642 Kieft sent 
two sloops to compel the withdrawal of some settlers from New 
England, who had sought to establish themselves on the Schuylkill, 
and the work of expulsion was continued by the Swedes. Relations 
with the Swedes continued friendly until 1646, when the Dutch pur- 
chased land from the natives within the present limits of Philadelphia 
(September 25), and intercourse with them was forbidden by the 
Swedish Governor Printz, The Dutch extended their settlements in 
the face of continued protests from the Swedes, and the limits of the 
different jurisdictions became an important question. 

June 25, 1651, Peter Stuyyesant, Director-General of New 
Amsterdam, appeared on the Delaware with an armed force. The 
Indians gave him a large tract of land extending from Christina 
Creek to Bombay Hook, on both sides of the river, claiming it was 
held by the Swedes unjustly and forcibly. Stuyvesant built Fort 
Casimir, near New Castle, Delaware, to secure this land. No hos- 
tilities took place until 1654, when Jehan Claudius Rysingh, Swedish 
Commissary and Assistant Councillor captured Fort Casimir, re- 
named it Fort Trinity, and required such Dutch settlers as remained 
to take the oath of allegiance to Sweden, thus momentarily re- 
establishing Swedish rule on both sides of the river. Later in the 
year Stuyvesant returned, seized the Swedish forts, and success- 
fully established the supremacy of the Dutch West India Company. 
The Dutch government was re-established, with John Paul Jacquet 
as vice-director and commander-in-chief. 

In 1656 the Dutch West India Company, being burdened with 
debt, transferred Fort Casimir and some adjacent territory to the 
city of Amsterdam. The colony was reorganized under the name 
of New Amstel, the cession being formally made April 12, 1657. 
December 22, 1663, the whole of the South River was transferred 
by Peter Stuyvesant, representing the States General of Holland, 
and the Dutch West India Company, to the burgomasters of Am- 



6o PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

sterdam. The Dutch control of the river was brought to an end 
October ii, 1664, save for a short time in 1672. 

13. Early English Settlements. — The English claim to the 
Delaware rested on the general discovery by the Cabots in 1497-98. 
An attempt to settle on the Delaware was made by a small company 
from Connecticut in 1635. In 1640 some adventurers from New 
Haven made some purchases on both sides of the river. Further 
settlements followed in 1641 and 1642 on the Schuylkill. The New 
Haven colony persisted in its efforts to place settlements on the 
Delaware, and its operations were a matter of much concern to 
both Swedes and Dutch, who finally expelled them in 1653. Settlers 
came from Boston, Virginia and Maryland, and in 1659 ^ controversy 
began with Lord Baltimore concerning the right of jurisdiction over 
the Delaware that lasted for many years. 

March 12, 1664, and again on June 29, 1674, King Charles II. 
granted to his brother James, Duke of York, all the land between 
the St. Croix River and the Delaware Bay, then claimed by the 
Dutch in America. On October 11, 1664, the Dutch and Swedes on 
the Delaware surrendered themselves to the jurisdiction of Sir 
Robert Carr acting on behalf of the English King, ending the Dutch 
control. The name of New Amstel was then changed to New Castle. 

August 21, 1682, after Penn had received his charter from King 
Charles, the Duke of York executed a deed for Pennsylvania to 
William Penn as security against any claims he, the Duke, might 
make to the province. Shortly afterwards Penn obtained from the 
Duke two "deeds of enfeoffment," both dated August 24, one for 
New Castle and twelve miles about it, and the other for the lands 
between New Castle and Cape Henlopen. Lord Baltimore entered 
a claim for these territories which the Duke himself did not receive 
from the King in regular conveyance until March 22, 1683. The 
submission of the inhabitants of New Castle to Penn was made 
October 28, 1682. The submission of the people of the lower lands 
was made to Markham November 17. December 7, 1682, an act of 
union between the three lower counties and Pennsylvania was passed 
by the first Pennsylvania Assembly. 

When William Penn reached Pennsylvania he found a cos- 
mopolitan population of about 2,000, consisting of Swedes, Dutch, 
English, Silesians, Brandenburgers, Holsteiners, Swiss and Germans 
from Nuremburg, of which about one-half lived within the present 
limits of the State. The settlements were Swedesboroush on Rac- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



61 



coon Creek on the east side of the Delaware, and Christina, New 
Castle, Marcus Hook, Upland and Wicaco on the west side. The 
English settlers were few and sparsely distributed ; but had held 

religious meetings at Upland as early as 1675. 




CAMPANIUS S MAP OF THE ATLANTIC COLONIES. 



62 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



CHAPTER IV. 
Penn and the Province. 

14. William Penn. — William Penn was the son of Admiral 
Sir William Penn and Margaret Jasper Penn, and was born on 
Tower Hill, London, October 14, i6zj4. His father was a naval 
adventurer who rose to high rank early in life and served under 
Charles I. and Cromwell. He was knighted by Charles II., in whose 
restoration he took an active part, and to whom he loaned large 
sums of money. 






<9 — 




vBSjisBtiei;ecKn> 



BAPTISMAL RECORD OF WILLIAM PENN, ALL HALLOWS CHURCH, BARKING, LONDON. 

At the age of twenty young William entered Christ Church 
College, Oxford. The controversies between Puritan and Cavalier 
were active in the universities, and Penn manifested a sympathy with 
the former, coming under the influence of Thomas Loe, the Quaker. 
His college career came to an end in two years, probably through 
his participation in the religious riots of the students. His leanings 
towards the Quaker faith were now so marked that his father dis- 
patched him to France, where he spent some time at the gay court 
of Louis XIV. He studied at the Protestant Theological School at 
Saumur ; was admitted a student of law at Lincoln's Inn in 1665, saw 
service in the Dutch war, and aided in the suppression of a mutiny 
in Ireland. 

In 1667 Penn's adherence to the Quaker faith was complete, and 
he became a preacher ; and began an active life in his new religion. 
In prison many times for preaching and participating in religious 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 63 

meetings, and estranged from his father, his life was an arduous 
one. He published many books and pamphlets relating to the Quaker 
doctrine, and was the first Quaker theologian. His tract entitled 
"The Sandy Foundation Shaken," led to his imprisonment in the 
Tower of London. While there he published, among other works, 











m^^ 









jt(^T. 



TITLE PAGE OF PENN's MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL. 

his most important book, "No Cross, No Crown." This book, with 
another entitled "Innocency with Her Open Face" and "The Sandy 
Foundation Shaken," is still an authority on the original doctrines 
of the Quakers. Soon after his release he was arrested for preaching 
in London, and his trial was a memorable one in its results. The 
jury acquitted the prisoner contrary to the instructions of the Court, 



64 PENNSYLVANIA : A PRIMER. 

and was imprisoned in consequence. An appeal being taken, it 
was forever established that the jury should determine the verdict 
on the evidence submitted, without regard to the views of the court. 
Penn's father dying September i6, 1670, left his son a handsome 
income and a claim on the Crown for £14,000 for money advanced 
by the Admiral and for sums due for him for services rendered. 

In 1672 Penn, after his first religious visit to Holland and Ger- 
many, married Gulielma Maria Springett, a daughter of Mary Pen- 
nington by her first husband, Sir William Springett. In 1676 he 
became one of the five proprietors of the province of West Jersey in 
America, and for the first time became directly interested in the 
development of the American colonies. In 1677 he made his cele- 
brated religious tour through Holland and the Rhine country, where 
he formed acquaintances and connections that were afterwards use- 
ful in drawing emigrants to his province in America. 

A plan for the establishment of a Quaker colony, in which there 
would be perfect freedom of conscience and complete religious lib- 
erty, had for some time been agitated among the leading Quakers. 
It was possibly with the immediate intention of realizing this plan, 
or perhaps because through his West Jersey interests he recognized 
the value of a colonial possession, that Penn, in 1680 asked from 
the Crown, in payment of the debt due his father's estate, a tract of 
land in America, "lying north of Maryland, on the east bounded with 
the Delaware, on the west limited as Maryland is, and northward to 
extend as far as plantable, which is altogether Indian." The grant 
was confirmed by King Charles II. March 4, 1681, who added the 
name of Penn to the title "Sylvania" that Penn had suggested, in 
honor of Admiral Penn. 

Penn sailed for his province in the ship "Welcome" on Sep- 
tember I, 1682, having meanwhile obtained from James, Duke of 
York, the lower land on the Delaware, known as the "Lower Coun- 
ties" and now forming the State of Delaware, thus giving free 
access to Pennsylvania by the river. A year earlier he had been pre- 
ceded by his cousin. Colonel William Markham, whom he had named 
as Deputy-Governor, and who was accompanied with three Com- 
missioners. Penn landed at New Castle October 27 and soon 
afterwards moved up the river to Upland, to which he gave the name 
of Chester. December 7 the Great Law (see §19) was adopted 
by the Assembly called by Penn ; it embodied his ideas on the subject 
of government. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 65 

SOME 

ACCOUNT 

OF THE 

PROVINCE 

PENNSILVANIA 



I N 



AMERICA* 

Lately Granted under the Great Seal 



o F 



ENGLAND 



T O 



William Penn, &c. 

Togetlier with Privilcdges and Powers necef- 
fary to the well-governing thereof. 

Made publick (or the Information of fuch as are or nuy be 

difpofcd CO Tranfport themfelves oj Scrvancs 

into thofe Parts. 



LONDON: Printed, and Sold by ^atJMUH CUrk 
Booklellet in Ctar^-'Jard Lem^ani^itet,' uS 3 1 « 



FAC-SIMILE OF TITLE PAGE. 



66 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



While Penn had hoped to remain permanently in America, he 
was recalled to England within two years by the pressing claims 
made by Lord Baltimore in connection with the Maryland boundary 
(see §37). Shortly afterwards (February 6, 1685) Charles II. died, 
and Penn, who had long been a close friend of James, whom his 
father had especially requested to look after his son's interests, now 
became an important character at Court. Penn's intercourse with 
James, and his life as one of the conspicuous figures of his Court, 
forms one of the most complicated chapters of his history. The 
question of Universal Toleration and liberty of conscience became 




MAP OF PHILADELPHIA BY THOMAS HOLME, I7OO. 

acute. James sought to bring it about by arbitrary methods, if by no 
other means, in order to secure the restoration of the Roman Catho- 
lics to full political rights ; while Penn worked towards the same 
ends that the Quakers might be free from any disability. Much of 
his time was now consumed in aiding the Quakers who were in 
prison and in securing their release ; and so constant were his labors 
and so numerous his engagements at Court that his connection with 
the King seemed to offer too many differences with his avowed faith 
as a Quaker, and he was openly accused of being a Jesuit. 

On the flight of James in 1688 Penn was one of the few friends 
of the King who remained in London, though the succeeding five 
years were spent in retirement and apparently in hiding. Charges 
of treason were brought against him, and on October 20, 1692, an 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



67 




MAP OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1698. 



68 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

order in Council deprived him of the Governorship of Pennsylvania 
and gave it to Benjamin Fletcher, Governor of New York. On 
February 23, 1693/4, his wife died, and on August 20, 1694, he was 
reinstated in the government of his province. On March 5, 1696, he 
married Hannah Callowhill, of Bristol, and it was her children who 
succeeded to the proprietaryship on his death. In 1699 he returned 
to Pennsylvania, where he remained until the fall of 1701, when he 
was recalled to England, by the introduction of a bill into the 
House of Lords to convert the private colonies into colonies of the 
Crown. 

The province had been a source of constant expense to Penn, 
and he had had much trouble with the conduct of its affairs, not 
only with the Deputy Governors he had chosen to represent him, but 
with the people who did not always respond to his efforts to provide 
them with a wise system of government. His financial difficulties 
with the province culminated with the death of his steward Ford, 
who had accumulated a large indebtedness from Penn, and to whom 
he had given a deed in fee simple of the whole province of Pennsyl- 
vania as security, and from whom he afterwards accepted a lease 
of the province. There is no doubt this transaction was made as a 
mortgage only, but it formed the basis of a heavy claim against 
Penn, which was only discharged by the payment of a large sum 
of money. In February, 171 2, Penn's difficulties had reached such a 
point that he proposed to sell his proprietary rights to the Crown, 
retaining his land and the rents due from lands already disposed of ; 
but before he could sign the deed he was stricken with paralysis, 
and although he did not die until July 30, 17 18, it was impossible to 
effect a legal transfer. The province thus remained in his family 
until the Revolution. 

William Penn was one of the great characters of his age. He 
was a man of education, with a knowledge of Latin, Greek, French, 
German and Dutch. His published writings show a wide reading, 
especially in theology and government, and his quotations from 
classic and mediaeval writers prove him to have been a man of broad 
learning. He was an active man of affairs in every sense of the word. 
He was a politician, a courtier, the founder of a colony, a leader and 
organizer of the Quakers. Being a man of wealth, and naturally 
associating with people of the highest standing in England, he lived 
well both there and in America, maintaining in the province a state 
that was in keeping with his means and with his position as pro- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



69 



prietor, and yet which seemed somewhat at variance with his charac- 
ter as a Quaker leader. Pohtically Penn was far in advance of his 
time. He acquired universal fame in Europe for the perfect faith 
he kept with the Indians. Not only did he maintain his engage- 
ments for thirty years, but the people of Pennsylvania enjoyed a 
freedom from Indian warfare for seventy-five years as a direct 
result of his fair treatment. No other incident in his career brought 
him such fame as this, and possibly no other cause attracted so 
widespread attention to his province. It formed the real founda- 
tion of its later prosperity. 






Ill 




TOMBSTONE OF WILUAM PENN AND HANNAH PENN, 

Jordan's meeting house, England. 



15. Penn's Family. — Of Penn's seven children by his first 
wife, Gulielma Maria Springett (1643/4- 1693/4) four died in in- 
fancy or early childhood. His son Springett (1675-1696) died in his 
twenty-first year. His daughter Letitia (1678-1746) married Wil- 
liam Aubrey, of London, and was sixty-eight years of age when she 
died; she had no children. Another son, William Penn, Jr. (1680- 
1720) survived his father two years; he spent some time in Pennsyl- 
vania, where he made an unsavory record, although at one time a 
member of the Provincial Council. On his father's death he claimed 
the Governorship of the Province, but was not recognized by the 
Assembly nor by the Board of Trade in London. 



70 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Penn had also seven children by his second wife, Hannah Cal- 
lowhill (1664-1726). Three died in childhood; one daughter, Mar- 
garet (1704- 1 750/51) married Thomas Freame; three sons, John 
(1699/ 1 700- 1 746), Thomas (1701/02- 1775) and Richard (1705/06- 
1771) succeeded to the proprietaryship under the final settlement of 
their father's will. The eldest son, John, was born in Philadelphia, 
and was called "the American." He was unmarried, and received 
one-half of the proprietary estate in Pennsylvania and the Lower 
Counties. He visited America in 1734 and remained about a year. 
Thomas and Richard Penn each received one-fourth of the proprie- 
tary estate, the portion of John being charged with certain money 
payments to his sister Margaret. 

Thomas Penn was for nearly thirty years the principal proprietor 
of the province, and his influence on its growth was only second to 
that of his father. He lived in Philadelphia for nine years, and, 
throughout his life devoted much time to proprietary affairs. He 
received his brother John's share of the estate on the latter's death, 
and thus became the holder of three-fourths of the proprietary and 
family estates in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Richard Penn, the 
third brother, never visited America. 

Of William Penn's grandchildren, two sons of Thomas, John 
(1760-1834) and Granville (1761-1844) both visited America, but 
not until after the Revolutionary War ; they had, therefore, no part 
in Pennsylvania history. Two sons of Thomas's brother Richard be- 
came governors of the province. Richard Penn (1735-1811) was 
Lieutenant-Governor from October, 1771, to July, 1773; his brother 
John Penn (1729- 1795) held the same office from November, 1763 
to April, 1 77 1, and again from August, 1773, to September, 1776. 
He was the last of the provincial governors, and with him the con- 
nection of the Penn family with the government of Pennsylvania 
came to an end. 

16. The Holy Experiment of Pennsylvania. — The "Holy 
Experiment" was a term used by Penn to describe his undertaking in 
America. His aim was to found a colony in which there should be 
absolute religious liberty and perfect equality. The principles upon 
which his plan was carried out involved (i) perfect democracy, (2) 
perfect religious liberty, (3) perfect justice and fairness in dealing 
with aborigines and neighbors, (4) the absence of all military and 
naval provision for attack and defence, and (5) the abolition of 
oaths. His avowed intention was "to lay the foundation of a free 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



71 



colony for all mankind," and more especially those of his own faith. 
But he distinctly declined to entrust the government exclusively to 
the Quakers, his aim being, he said, not to "lessen the civil liberties 
of others, because of their persuasion, but to screen and defend our 
own from any infringement on that account." 




ARMORIAL BEARINGS OF THE PENN FAMILY. 



Pennsylvania was the most successful of the proprietary colonies 
of America. Rapidly becoming the richest and most thickly popu- 
lated colony, the province failed to realize all the ideals of its 
founder, and it was not until after Penn's death that it became 
profitable to his family, and founded the large fortune he hoped it 



72 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

would create for himself. The Pennsylvania Assembly abolished 
the political rights and feudal ownership of the land at the Revolu- 
tion, and permitted the Penns to retain some estates that had been 
settled on the children of Penn's first wife, the manors owned by 
the proprietors, and some quit rents, and voted them i 139,000 in 
money for what was confiscated. The Penns laid a claim against 
the English government for losses occasioned by the Revolution, for 
£944,817, which was settled by an annuity of £4,000, commuted in 
1884 by a payment of £67,000. The family still own some manors 
in the interior of the State, and some quit-rents are still paid to their 
agents. 

While the governmental claims of Penn failed of realization, his 
ideals dominated the province for seventy years, and have never been 
extinguished. With the Indian wars Pennsylvania ceased to be a 
land of constant peace, and other circumstances materially changed 
the character of the government and the people. Two notable facts 
hastened this result : ( i ) The veto of the English Crown, and its 
undefined authority over the charter and the many wars and demands 
made upon the province, both forming a constant interference with 
the plan of government; and (2) the proprietors of the second gen- 
eration were members of the Church of England and not in sympathy 
with the principles of their father. The Quakers, although long in a 
minority in the province, lost their political control in 1756. Penn's 
"Holy Experiment," however, ranks among the most notable efforts 
in human government. It was a unique attempt to realize lofty 
ideals of peace, good-fellowship and perfect democracy under con- 
ditions that contained many elements of possible success. Yet that 
he achieved so much as he did is high testimony to the sagacity of 
Penn's views and the soundness with which he put them into practice. 
The history of the province and the State demonstrates that the 
"Holy Experiment" was well worth the making. 

17. The Royal Charter. — The Charter of Charles II. was 
signed by the King March 4, 1681. It was the basis of the pro- 
vincial constitution. It constituted William Penn proprietor of about 
40,000 square miles, whose boundary was almost the same as that 
of the present State. Penn and his heirs were made absolute pro- 
prietors of this great area, the sovereignty alone being reserved to 
the English Crown. For payment Penn was required to deliver an- 
nually to the King at Windsor two beaver skins and the fifth part 
of all gold and silver found within the province. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 73 

The proprietor was given full authority to establish the form 
of government and to make laws with the consent of the freemen, 
"or the greater part of them or of their delegates or deputies ;" in 
cases of emergency or inability to bring the people or their delegates 
together Penn was authorized to issue laws himself, which were to 
be reasonable; in every instance the laws must be consonant with 
those of England. The right of appeal to the Crown was especially 
reserved. Full power of punishment and pardon for crime was given, 
except for treason and wilful and malicious murder, for which only 
reprieves could be issued until the will of the Crown was made 
known. All laws were, within five years from their adoption, to be 
submitted to the Privy Council, and if not acted on in six months 
were to stand. Power was given to appoint officers, judges and 
magistrates ; to lay out towns, cities and counties ; to create sea- 
ports and harbors ; to levy customs and subsidies ; to trade with any 
English ports and to reship goods in England to foreign countries ; 
to dispose of lands ; to erect manors. Correspondence with States 
and sovereigns at war with England was forbidden, but Penn was 
given the full power and rank of a Captain-General, with authority 
to maintain an armed force for use against savages, pirates and 
other enemies. It was stipulated that a resident agent be maintained 
in London, and it was also provided that if damages be obtained by 
the Crown for any cause, and remain unpaid for a year, the govern- 
ment might be removed by the Crown, though the ownership of land 
and other property vested in the proprietor would not be affected. 
The King agreed not to levy taxes in the Province without the con- 
sent of the Proprietary or Chief Governor or Assembly or by an act 
of Parliament. It was also provided that if twenty inhabitants of 
the Province should express a desire for a preacher to the Bishop 
of London he should be permitted to perform his duties without 
molestation. Question of interpretations of the Charter were to be 
submitted to any court convenient to Penn. 

The Charter was drawn by Penn on the model of the Maryland 
Charter, and was revised by Lord Chief Justice North and the At- 
torney-General, Sir William Jones. It did not aim to establish a 
trading corporation, as did many of the colonial charters, but sought 
to create a government by a single person in whom was vested the 
sole right to the land. Advantage was taken of the experience 
gained by previous charters granted for America, to provide for a 
just supervision of the colony by the English Government; the re- 



74 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

strictions were moderate and wise, and the Charter was, from this 
point of view, superior to those of Maryland and the Carolinas. 

A royal letter was issued by the King under date of April 2, 

1681, directed to the inhabitants of the Province, commanding their 
obedience to the new proprietor. A quit-claim dated August 21, 

1682, was also issued by the Duke of York for the region included 
within Pennsylvania, though he had no legal jurisdiction over the 
new Province. The tribute of beaver skins was paid until 1780. The 
original Charter has disappeared. 

Penn's rights in America were thus established by four docu- 
ments or grants: i, The Charter given by Charles II.; 2, the let- 
ter issued by the same King ; 3, the deed of the Duke of York ; and, 
4, the Duke of York's deeds covering Delaware, or the Lower 
Counties. 

18. Frames of Oovernment. — The form of government pro- 
posed for the Province was contained in a document drawn by Penn 
in England, in the preparation of which he consulted many persons, 
and which he called the Frame of Qovernment. It is dated May 
3, 1682, and formed the first constitution of Pennsylvania. 

Government, the Preface declared, was of divine origin, and 
"any government is free to the people under it where the laws rule 
and the people are a party to those laws." 

The Frame provided for a Governor or Deputy Governor, to be 
appointed by the proprietor, and a Council and Assembly to be 
elected by the freemen. The Council was to consist of 72 persons, 
to be chosen for three years, one-third retiring each year, and after 
seven years the retiring members to be ineligible for re-election until 
the lapse of a year. The Governor or his deputy was to preside at 
meetings of the Council and to have three votes. Together they 
formed the executive part of the government. 

The Council had the sole right of originating legislation. To 
it was given the execution of the laws, the establishment of courts 
of justice, the preservation of the peace, and the duty of upholding 
the constitution. It had the care of the public treasury, the right to 
found cities, ports and towns, to build highways, erect schools and 
the encouragement of literature, science and invention. Once a year 
it was to submit to the Governor a list of double the number of 
persons needed to serve as judges, treasurers and masters of the 
rolls, and from this list, within three days, he must make a selection 
or the first named would be entitled to the office. It had the right 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 75 

The FRAME of the 

GOVERNMENT 

OF THE 

of 

IN 

AM E R I C A = 

Together with certain 

A W S 

Agreed upon in England 

GOVERN OUR 

AND 

Divers E R E E - M E N of die aforcfaid 
PROVINCE 

To be funhcr Explained and Confirmed there by the firit 

Trovincial Council said (jcneralJlfemhly that (hall 

be held, if they fee meet. 




Prmted ill the Year MDCLXXXIl. 

FAC-SIMILE OF TITLE PAGE OF PENN'S "fRAME OF GOVERNMENT, 1682. 



76 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



to summon or dissolve the General Assembly. To facilitate business 
the Council was divided into four committees of i8 members each. 
One-third of the members of each committee formed a quorum, and 
the four quorums together were to form the Standing Council of 
24 members. 

The Assembly was, for the first year, to consist of all the free- 
men of the province. It had the right to approve or reject bills, and 
to propose amendments to measures adopted by the Council. It 
could impeach criminals for trial before the Council. The Frame 
could be amended only by consent of the Governor and six-sevenths 
of the Council and the Assembly. 













FAC-SIMILE OF SIGNATURES TO FRAME OF GOVERNMENT. 



The Frame did not differ widely from the constitutions then in 
force in the other colonies, but it contained two provisions that had 
not appeared before in any American constitution, and which after- 
wards came into general use. These were the provisions for its own 
alteration or amendment and the system of impeachment. In order 
to start the government going Penn appointed the first officers to 
act under the Frame. 

The Penn Papers in the possession of the Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania contain twenty drafts of the Frame, showing many 
changes and alterations, and proving the care Penn had taken in 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. yy 

its compilation, and the many persons he must have consulted before 
reaching the final form. The last draft is dated April 26, 1682. 

The Act of Settlement was a bill adopted at Chester, March 
19, 1683. It modified the Frame in some particulars where it had 
been found unwieldy or unsuited for practical conditions. The 
Council was reduced to three from each county and the Assembly to 
six from each county, making the numbers 18 and 36 respectively. 

A Second Frame was agreed upon between Penn and the 
Council and Assembly on April 2, 1683, which contained a number of 
changes from the earlier one. The Council was to consist of not less 
than 18 members, three from each county, nor more than 72; the 
Assembly was not to number less than 36 nor more than 200. The 
Governor's three votes in the Council were abolished, and he was 
not to perform any public act without the advice and consent of 
that body. There was no division of the Council into committees, 
but a Standing Council of one-third the whole number of members 
was constituted. The guardian of the proprietor's heir, if a minor, 
was to have the management of the private estates of his ward, as 
well as direction of the public affairs of the Province. The estates 
of aliens were to descend to their heirs if they had been naturalized. 
The privilege of hunting and fishing anywhere in the Province was 
given in general terms, except on located manors and other private 
property. The full and quiet possession of lands to which any per- 
son had lawful or equitable claim was guaranteed, with the exception 
of rents or services that were or ought to be reserved to the pro- 
prietor. The absolute power of appointing officers was reserved to 
the proprietor during his lifetime. 

Markham's Frame. The assumption of the Government of 
Pennsylvania by Governor Fletcher of New York produced great 
confusion in the administration of affairs in the Province. Mark- 
ham, who continued as Governor after Fletcher's withdrawal, 
adopted a policy towards the previous arrangements of Penn that 
complicated matters still further. A new constitution was finally 
drawn and agreed to by Markham and the Assembly in 1696, which 
was a complete recognition of the popular will. It permitted both 
the Council and the Assembly to originate legislation, gave the 
Assembly authority to sit on its own adjournments, and agreed that 
the Governor should perform no public act without the consent of 
a majority of the Council. This document is known as "Markham's 
Frame," and while not formally approved by Penn, remained in force 



78 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

until 1700. It was a most important paper in the legislative develop- 
ment of Pennsylvania. 

The Charter of Privileges was granted by Penn and accepted 
by the Assembly in 1701, and supplanted the earlier Frames. It dif- 
fered widely from the previous documents. The Council was de- 
prived of its parental authority, rotation in office and the use of the 
ballot were not mentioned ; the Governor and Council were excluded 
by implication from the power to propose legislation; no provision 
was made for the family or the estate of the proprietor. 

19. The Great Law. — With the Frame of Government Penn 
also submitted a code of laws entitled Laws Agreed Upon in Eng- 
land, or the Printed Laws, which were to be altered or amended by 
the Assembly in Pennsylvania. The result, known as The Great 
Law, was adopted by the Assembly at Chester, December, 1682. 

This law established absolute religious liberty to those who 
believed in one God, but required all office holders to profess belief 
in the divinity of Jesus Christ as well as all who voted for them. 
Prisons were to be workhouses and places for reformation and 
cleanliness; trial by jury was established, but oaths were not re- 
quired; murder was punishable with death; and careful provision 
was made against swearing, drunkenness, card-playing, scolding, 
theft and other crimes. 

20. The Proprietaryship and the Province. William Penn 
was feudal lord of Pennsylvania. The Charter of Charles II. con- 
stituted him Governor and owner of the land, with the right to devise 
the form of government in conjunction with the freemen of the 
Province. In selling his land Penn provided for the payment of a 
quit-rent, which he supposed would be paid to the end of time, and 
thus the Province be a perpetual source of revenue to his family. 

The proprietors were, on the whole, popular in the Province. 
It is true that much of its early legislative history is concerned with 
conflicts between the Assembly and the proprietor, but Penn was per- 
sonally popular with his people, and many of the disputes which were 
acute while he was in England were quickly settled to the satisfac- 
tion of all on his arrival in America. 

An opposition to the proprietors, developed very early in the his- 
tory of tlie Province, was continued during the whole of the time of 
their control, and in the lifetime of William Penn centred in David 
Lloyd, a Welsh Quaker lawyer, who conducted a bitter campaign 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 79 

against him. Robert Quarry, Judge of the Admiralty, and a leader 
of the Church Party, was also most aggressive in his opposition to 
Penn. The opposition, however, aimed more directly at obtaining 
legislative and political rights than real objection to the proprietary- 
ship itself. On the death of Penn the disputes with his successors 
became more numerous, and none of his sons enjoyed the personal 
popularity of their father. 

The most serious problem involved in the proprietaryship was 
the taxation of the proprietary estates. The proprietors refused 
again and again to assent to it, as much of their land was unoccu- 
pied and held for sale. The Assembly, on the other hand, argued 
that it was necessary to defend the lands of the settlers by military 




Arms of P&nn, 

force, and as the expense of the Government was considerable the 
proprietors should meet a part of these expenditures by the taxation 
of their estates. In April, 1759, Governor Denny signed a bill 
which provided for the taxation of the estates, and when an appeal 
was taken to the Board of Trade, Benjamin Franklin and Robert 
Charles, agents of the Assembly in London, agreed to offer amend- 
ments in the Assembly which would meet most of the objections 
raised by the proprietors. With but one exception the taxation of 
the estates appears to have been fair and equitable. 

William Penn maintained a policy of paternalism towards the 
Province and its people ; he treated the colonists kindly and expected 
to be treated in a similar manner by them. It was a matter of great 
regret and annoyance to him to find that this was not done, and it 



8o PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

was not until after his death that the Assembly gave evidence of 
realizing the real character of the great Founder of Pennsylvania. 
His sons constantly displayed a real and personal interest in the 
Province, but they did not revive the paternalism of their father. 
They were content to maintain their rights against the claims of the 
Assembly by a much more rigid policy than their father had shown 
at any time. 

21. The Province and the Penn Family. — Penn granted the 
Government of Pennsylvania by will, April 6, 1712, to the Earl of 
Oxford, the Earl Mortimer and Earl Powlett and their heirs, in 
trust, with instructions to sell it to the Crown or to a private person 
if advantageous terms could be obtained. Provision was made in the 
will for the disposition of money received from this sale. All lands 
and other property in Pennsylvania or elsewhere in America were 
bequeathed to his wife and other trustees. They were to sell suffi- 
cient land to pay his debts, and convey to his daughter and each of 
the three children of William, his son by his first wife, 10,000 acres. 
The remainder of the Province was to be given to John, Thomas, 
Margaret, Richard and Dennis, his children by his second wife, as 
she might direct. His personal estate and all arrears of rent in 
Pennsylvania were given to his wife, together with an annuity of 
£300 out of accruing rents. Mrs. Penn was made sole executrix. 

As Penn had, by his will, separated his government rights from 
his property rights, various legal questions arose which were the 
occasion of much controversy. The heir at law, William Penn, Jr., 
maintained that these rights could not be separated, and on his death 
in 1720 his eldest son Springett asserted his right to the govern- 
ment. An agreement made between Mrs. Penn and Springett in 
1725 designated Gordon as Governor in succession to Keith, with the 
express stipulation that Springett's rights of government should not 
be impaired. In 1718 Mrs. Penn conveyed the Province and the 
Lower Counties to John, Thomas, Richard and Dennis as joint ten- 
ants by deed poll. In January, 1726, on the death of Dennis, she re- 
voked this deed, and granted half the Province to John, and the other 
half to Thomas and Richard, with certain reservations. In the follow- 
ing year a decree of the Exchequer declared Penn's will duly proved, 
and immediately afterwards, by a sextipartite deed, the tenure of 
the younger brothers was changed to tenancy in common. In Janu- 
ary, 1730, the surviving trustees made a reconveyance of the land 




Thomas Penn. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



8i 



to the three brothers, and their rights were further estabhshed by 
deeds executed in 1735, 1737, 1741 and 1742. 

The rights of government were claimed by Springett Penn 
until his death. The younger brothers would have purchased these 
powers had they been able to command the money necessary to buy 
them. In 1731, immediately after the death of Springett, his son 
William agreed to relinquish all claim to the land and the govern- 
ment for is, 500 and certain reservations. The young proprietors at 
once mortgaged the Province to him as security for this payment, 
and February 11, 1744, the surviving trustee conveyed the govern- 
ment to them. 




PROPRIETARY SEAL OF WILLIAM PENN. 



When Thomas Penn visted the Province in 1732 his two 
brothers urged him to sell the land at almost any price if he could 
obtain sufficient money by this means to relieve them from the pres- 
sure of debt. They offered to sell him their entire interest, but he 
was unable to raise the funds. An agreement was finally made by 
the three brothers for the entail of the estate. Each, on his death, 
was to devise his share to his eldest son in tail male, with the re- 
mainder to the other sons in like manner ; if any should die without 
male issue his portion was to go to the survivors and their heirs as 
appointed. John Penn, on his death in 1746, bequeathed his half of 
Pennsylvania to Thomas for life, then in succession to the sons of 
Thomas, or, in failure of these, to the descendants of Richard. John 
Penn, eldest son of Richard, succeeded to his father's proprietary- 
ship in 1771. 



82 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

22. Provincial and Home Government. — The relations of 
Pennsylvania with England chiefly centred in questions relating to 
defence and to trade. The matter of defence was complicated by 
the conscientious scruples of the Quakers against bearing arms or 
the use of military force for any purpose. The applications of the 
Crown for military assistance from the Province were at first 
ignored, but the demands became so persistent that they could not 
be avoided, and a compromise was finally adopted whereby appro- 
priations were voted for the King's use or the support of the Gov- 
ernment, and no inquiry made as to the disposition of the funds. 

The questions of defence were closely connected with the efforts 
to enforce the laws of trade. The early history of the Province is 
filled with reports of piracy and smuggling, which seemed to have 
been stimulated by the non-m.ilitary character of the Quaker gov- 
ernment. These were so numerous that the King told Penn the 
Charter would be forfeited unless these disorders were suppressed. 
Penn undertook to accomplish this, and while the Assembly denied 
that conditions were as represented, it passed an act in 1698 "for pre- 
venting frauds and regulating abuses in trade." This act defined the 
methods of collecting customs and provided for the suppression of 
illegal commerce. 

The Board of Trade early placed itself on record as opposed to 
all proprietary governments, claiming they had failed to accom- 
plish what it was proposed they would when established, that they 
had not enforced the laws of trade, and in other ways were in oppo- 
sition to the Crown. A bill was introduced into Parliament revoking 
all the proprietary charters, but failed of passage; for many years, 
however, the Board of Trade made representations against the con- 
dition of affairs in Pennsylvania. Other representations followed on 
information to the Board that the Province was unwilling to contrib- 
ute to defence, and throughout the entire provincial period the Board 
concerned itself with the state of the Province, alleging neglect of 
security and defence, and even advocating the exclusion of Quakers 
from the Assembly. It was not until the Quakers voluntarily re- 
frained from offering themselves as candidates for the Assembly in 
1756 in response to a suggestion from the London Meeting that these 
matters assumed less acute form. 

Pennsylvania's relations with the home Government not only 
included matters of trade and of defence, but, by the Royal Charter, 
all laws passed by the Assembly were to be transmitted to England 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 83 

for approval within five years after passage ; an agent was to be 
maintained in London ; and provision was made for a minister of 
the Church of England on a duly supported request. For the first 
few years the provision requiring the transmission of the laws was 
ignored. In 1694 a few acts were laid before the King in Council. 
The Board of Trade being established in 1696 it then became the 
custom to lay before it all acts passed by colonial legislatures. They 
were then referred to the attorney-general and the solicitor-general 
for inspection, and on their opinion for or against approval by 
the Crown they were reported to the committee of the Privy 
Council for Plantation Affairs, by whom a report was made to the 
King in Council. After 1746 the proprietors directed that all acts 
should be laid before the clerk of the Privy Council without refer- 
ence to the Board of Trade. 

23. Attempts to Abolish the Proprietaryship. — Pennsylvania 
was a vast fief held by the proprietors of the Crown. Though 
feudal lords they were the executives of a democracy. This double 
character was the cause of the struggles between the proprietors and 
the people, and between the proprietors and the home Government. 
These struggles began so early in the history of the Province that 
in May, 1703, Penn proposed the surrender of his powers of gov- 
ernment to the Board of Trade. The offer was declined, and Penn 
made a new proposition offering to sell his governmental rights for 
£20,000. A counter proposition to purchase for i 12,000 was re- 
ported upon favorably by the Board, February 13, 17 12, and a bill 
introduced into Parliament to complete the bargain. One thousand 
pounds was paid on account, but the bill failed to pass, and after 
Penn's death his sons ceased the effort to dispose of their rights. Dis- 
continued by the proprietors, an agitation looking towards the same 
end was developed in the Province, especially after the influx of the 
Germans and Scotch-Irish had introduced new elements of population 
into the Province, which the Quakers feared would be disastrous to 
their own participation in the provincial government. Two politi- 
cal parties were formed, whose purposes were, respectively, the con- 
tinuance of the proprietary rule and its extinction. The proprietary 
party was composed chiefly of the Presbyterians and the Episco- 
palians ; the anti-proprietary included the larger body of the Quakers 
and many Germans, who feared compulsory military legislation. 

Proposals for the assumption of the government by the Crown 
were talked of soon after the death of Penn, but the first definite 



84 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

petition to that end appears to have been made in 1742, and was 
adversely reported upon by the Board of Trade. Other petitions 
and addresses looking towards the same end followed in 1751, 1753 
and 1756, and later, the occasions being requests for contributions 
for the Indian campaigns and difficulties with the governors in mat- 
ters of appropriations and legislation. The Assembly set earnestly 
to work to deprive the proprietors of their governmental rights. 
Party strife became acute. The proprietary party was headed by 
the Rev. Dr. William Smith, Provost of the University of Penn- 
sylvania, Richard Peters, Benjamin Chew, William Allen, Richard 
Hockley, and the anti-proprietary by Benjamin Franklin and Joseph 
Galloway. John Dickinson, while not friendly to the Penns, main- 
tained a conservative policy and was most serviceable in helping the 
proprietary side. 

Meetings were held, pamphlets were published, and much of 
the time of the Assembly was consumed with questions centring 
around this most important matter. Franklin was appointed a special 
agent to assist Jackson, the provincial agent in London, in bringing 
the petitions and addresses looking to a change of government be- 
fore the Crown. In November, 1765, Franklin laid an address from 
the Assembly and several private petitions before the King in Coun- 
cil. The Privy Council decided that the King had no power to grant 
the request made and the matter was indefinitely postponed. The 
proprietors, meanwhile, had been assured by the ministers of the 
Crown that nothing would be done ; yet in 1766 the Ministry tried to 
induce the proprietors to surrender the government. The passage 
of the Stamp Act, however, had aroused public interest in a new and 
more important affair, and in 1768 a resolution was adopted favoring 
the proprietors. In September, 1773, a congratulatory address to 
John Penn, Governor after the death of Richard Penn, was adopted 
by the Assembly and signed by Galloway as Speaker. This address 
marked the close of the efforts of the Assembly to change the gov- 
ernment. 

U''-' 24. Legislative Qrowi;h : Provincial Period. — Much of the 
legislative history of Pennsylvania in the proprietary period is 
concerned with conflicts with Penn and his successors concerning 
the rights and privileges of the Assembly and its relationship with 
the other parts of the Government. It began in the first session of 
the Council and Assembly, both of which proved to be too large, 
and which Penn consented to reduce to 18 for the Council and 36 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



85 




MAP OF PBNXSYLVANIA, I73O. 



86 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

for the Assembly. At the same time the Assembly asked for author- 
ity to originate legislation, but the request was refused. Many ex- 
tended controversies arose in this connection with the proprietary 
and the deputy governors and between the Council and the Assembly. 
On Penn's departure for England at the conclusion of his first visit, 
the Assembly took the decided position of rejecting as many of the 
Council's proposals as possible. The disputes were frequently over 
the smallest matters ; but the position of the Assembly was that it 
was contending for a vital principle, and its final victory came from 
the persistency with which it maintained its position at every point. 

Two important questions soon developed that helped the As- 
sembly in its battle for independence: applications for money to 
carry on the wars of England, and the Governor's salary. The 
Assembly very early perceived the value of these weapons and 
although war grants were, for a long time, only given without 
definite mention of their destination and purpose, even this support 
was refused unless some desired favor was granted to the Assembly. 

Markham's Frame, which permitted both the Assembly and 
the Council to originate legislation, gave the Assembly the right 
to sit on its own adjournments and agreed that the Governor should 
perform no public act of treasury or trade without the consent of a 
majority of the Council, was the first tangible result of the agitation 
for increased legislative powers. The constitution granted by Penn 
in 1701 marked the end of the first legislative conflict; for by it the 
Assembly was granted the privileges given it in Markham's Frame, 
together with the right to judge of the qualifications of its own mem- 
bers and the general powers and privileges of a free legislature. 

The question of adjournment soon entered upon a new stage. 
The Council contended that while the Assembly could adjourn from 
day to day or for short periods during the session, the session itself 
could only be closed by the Governor and Council. The Assembly 
paid no attention to this contention and subsequently Governor 
Gookin yielded to it in its demand of the right to adjourn at pleasure. 
The Assembly pressed its demands for independence of action with 
so much vigor that before 1740 it had obtained two important con- 
cessions ; these were, i, that to it belonged exclusively the right to 
dispose of the public money and determine the means and ways by 
which it should be raised ; and, 2, that the decision of the Deputy 
Governor approving or disapproving a bill passed by it should not 
be subject to reversal by the proprietary. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



87 



The Council was at first elective, but was appointive after June, 
1700, when the Frame of 1683 was set aside. Its members were 
appointed under Governor Fletcher, but were elected after the close 
of his administration. From 1684 to 1686 and from 1690 to 1692 it 
acted in an executive capacity. Until 1700 it formed a part of the 
Legislature; after that date it was composed chiefly of the best 
known and most conservative inhabitants of the Province, appointed 
by the proprietors and generally depended upon to support their 
interests. Its participation in the government of the province was 
never desired by the Assembly. 

The proprietors endeavored to continue their control of the 
Government by means of instructions to the Deputy Governors, 
issued on their appointment, and by private letters from time to time 
as circumstances seemed to demand. At first the Assembly made no 






OBVERSE. 




REVERSE. 



PROPRIETARY SEAL OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



objection to this procedure; but as the contest for supreme control 
was continued, more and more opposition was manifested towards 
the instructions, which became the subject of much controversy. It 
was not, however, always possible for the Governors to comply lit- 
erally with their instructions, and from time to time they were per- 
mitted to act as seemed to them best. After 1764 little real impor- 
tance was attached to this feature of proprietary administration. 

25. Religious Tests. — The Great Law of 1682 provided that 
"no person now or hereafter living in the Province who shall confess 
one Almighty God to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the 
world, and professeth him or herself obliged in conscience to live 
peaceably and justly under civil government, shall in any wise be 
molested or prejudiced for his or her conscientious persuasion and 
practise, nor shall be obliged at any time to frequent or maintain any 
religious worship, place or ministry contrary to his or her mind, but 



88 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



,,, '" the Summ o£<^R^-^>^^ ^y.,^^^^^y^^-^^^y^ I^'^^f* <=^^^ 
I" SteHing, for the uft of the Frte S<Mcty of Tradm in a 
Witneft. Our hands and the SofSetys S^JL, yVi. /» 'j^ jveli 




RECEIPT AND SEAL OF THE SOCIETY OF FREE TRADERS, 1682. 

shall freely and fully enjoy his or her liberty in that respect without 
any interruption or molestation." Another provision required that 
all officers and electors should be those who professed faith in Jesus 
Christ. 

This fundamental law of liberty of conscience was changed 
in 1692, on the appointment of Governor Fletcher when Penn lost 
his Province, whose commission stated that the members of As- 
sembly should take the oaths prescribed by the Act of Parliament. 
This act included a disbelief in transubstantiation and a condemna- 
tion of the practise of the invocation of the Virgin Mary and the 
Saints, and included a special provision for the various forms of 
dissent. Fletcher applied these tests to all holders of office in Penn- 
sylvania, and they continued to be applied down to the Revolution. 
The Act of Settlement, granted by Governor Markham, required all 
public officers to make the declarations of the English Toleration 
Act, which was a practise identical with that established by Fletcher. 
In 1700 Penn proposed laws to the Assembly which constituted a 
return to the Great Law of 1682, and in the Frame of 1701 a pro- 
vision was inserted identical with his earlier proposals requiring all 
voters and office holders to profess faith in Jesus Christ. 

In 1702 Queen Anne issued an order in Council directing that 
all those who had office in any colony, whether Crown or proprietary, 
should conform to the requirements of the Toleration Act and make 
the oaths and tests therein stipulated. The members of the Provin- 
cial Council at first protested and then took the oaths as required. 
February 7, 1705, the Privy Council announced its disapproval of 
the law of 1700, and in the same year the Assembly passed an act 
conforming to the Act of Toleration, which remained in force until 
the Revolution. It denied office to foreign-born Roman Catholics, 
Jews and Socinians, and the legal right to hold church property or to 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 89 

become naturalized. The Quaker objection to oaths and their con- 
tention for perfect freedom for affirmation occasioned prolonged 
discussions in the Assembly and much conflict with the British 
Crown, which had the right to reject all laws. In 1718 an act was 
passed and not repealed in London that recognized an affirmation 
as valid as an oath in evidence and as a qualification for office. Even 
this failed to give complete satisfaction, and another law, ratified 
by the King in 1725, settled the controversy by prescribing the "forms 
of declaration of fidelity to King George, the renunciation of a belief 
in the power of the Pope over the English Crown, of abjuration of 
allegiance to the Stuarts and of affirmation." An oath of abjuration 
of the Pretender in 1724 was substituted for the form of belief in 
the Trinity required by the act of 1705. 

In 1776 the conference called at the request of the Continental 
Congress to arrange for a convention to adopt a constitution for 
the State agreed that every delegate to the convention should ac- 
knowledge a belief in one God and in the divine inspiration of Holy 
Scripture. The present laws of Pennsylvania, of most of the States, 
and of the United States, are practically identical with those devel- 
oped by the agitation in Pennsylvania and which resulted in the 
legislation of 1725. 

26. The Lower Counties : Delavv'are. — On the English con- 
quest of the Dutch in 1664 King Charles II. immediately granted 
their territory in North America, which included New York, New 
Jersey and a part of New England, to his brother James, Duke of 
York. The latter's claim to the land now forming the State of 
Delaware rests on this grant, though it was expressly stipulated in 
the deed that it comprised land from the west side of the Connecticut 
river to the east side of Delaware bay. Penn obtained from the Duke 
three deeds for his lands on the Delaware : ( i ) a general deed of 
transfer, dated August 21, 1682, and (2) two deeds of enfeoffment, 
both dated August 24, 1682. The Duke, however, did not himself 
receive a regular grant from the King for these territories until 
March 22, 1683. These deeds stipulated that one-half of the profits 
derived from these territories should be paid annually to the Duke, 
but no payment appears to have been made on this account. 

The deeds of the Duke only expressed a willingness to make 
the grants to Penn, but on the accession of James II. to the throne 
in 1685, the title of the Lower Counties was vested in the Crown, 
and so remained until the Revolution. The King intended to make 



90 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



good his grant to Penn but was compelled to leave England before 
completing it. Penn's rights, therefore, rested on the acquiescence 
of the Crown, though he regarded them as established from the be- 
ginning, and this position was maintained by him and his heirs in 
the controversy with Lord Baltimore, who claimed a part of Dela- 
ware as belonging to the Province of Maryland. The Assembly of 
Maryland had, however, recognized the Lower Counties as belonging 
to Pennsylvania by acts passed in 1704, 1707, 171 5 and 1724, though 
many of the inhabitants refused to pay rent to either Baltimore or 
Penn because of the boundary controversy. 

Penn's first landing in America was at New Castle, and he at 
once took possession of the lands granted him by the Duke of York, 




ARMS OF LORD DE LA WARR. 



promising to apply to it the constitution and laws proposed for Penn- 
sylvania. Representatives from these lands, long known as the 
Lower Counties or the Territories, were -summoned to take part 
in the first Assembly, called to gather at Upland (Chester), No- 
vember 7, 1682, William Markham, by authority of Penn, took pos- 
session of the country. December 7 the Assembly adopted an act 
uniting the Lower Counties to Pennsylvania. Differences between 
the two regions led Penn to issue a commission in 1692 to Thomas 
Lloyd as Governor of the Province, and one to William Markham 
as Lieutenant-Governor of the Lower Counties. This separation did 
not last long, for when Fletcher, Governor of New York, took pos- 
session of Pennsylvania he required the representatives of the Prov- 
ince and of the Lower Counties to meet in one Assembly. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



91 



The Lower Counties had very early manifested a feehng of 
jealousy towards the Province, which was heightened by the extraor- 
dinary growth and prosperity of Pennsylvania and by the racial 
and religious differences of the people ; the inhabitants of the Lower 
Counties were largely of Swedish and Dutch parentage, while the 
ruling powers of Pennsylvania were English. A long agitation was 
conducted looking towards their separation from the Province. Penn 
consented that no laws should be enacted affecting them without 
the consent of two-thirds of their members and a majority of the 
members from the Province. By the Constitution of 1701 the Lower 
Counties were permitted to dissolve the union within three years. 

The separation was finally brought about in 1704, and the Lower 
Counties continued to be governed by a Legislature composed of 




SEAL OF THE LOWER COUNTIES, 175 1. 



a Governor appointed by the proprietors and an elected Assembly. 
The laws passed by this Legislature were not sent to England for 
approval by the Crown. 

In 171 5 Lord Sutherland petitioned the King for a grant of 
the Lower Counties, resting his request on a debt due him by the 
Crown. The suggestion was renewed by his son, but his contention 
was rejected. 

Governors of the Colonial and Provincial Period, §43 A and B; 
Change from Proprietary to State Government, §46 ; Division of 
the Land, §52 ; Manors, §57 ; Money and Credit, §59 ; Taxation, 
§60; Industrial Development, §61; Military Affairs in the Prov- 
incial Period, §63 ; Judicial System, §66 A ; Slavery, §67 ; Local 
Government: Provincial Period, §78 A. 



92 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



CHAPTER V. 
The Elements of Population. 

27. Elements of Population. — The settlement of Pennsyl- 
vania was made by several well marked streams of emigration, of 
various nationalities and religious faiths, each of which formed dis- 
tinctive groups, occupying certain portions of the Province and each 
having a strong influence on its history. 

The Dutch and Swedes, who were the first settlers, made only 
a slight impression on the later population. The first emigration 
under Penn was composed of Quakers. Many Germans followed, 
constituting the first German emigration to America. They formed 
a large proportion of the population of Pennsylvania, estimated at 
from one-half to one-third in the Provincial period. The Moravians, 
who were also Germans, formed another important portion of the 
early settlers. The Presbyterians constituted another element and 
were chiefly located in the east. Western Pennsylvania was largely 
settled by the Scotch-Irish, also of the Presbyterian faith. The 
Church of England was early represented in the east, especially in 
Philadelphia, where it obtained its most considerable following in the 
colony. The Welsh formed the larger part of the first emigrants, and 
settled in the east ; but few of them came after 1700. The Wyoming 
Valley was settled by Puritans from Connecticut, who originated one 
of the most momentous and troublesome questions in the development 
of the Province. (See §38.) At the time of the Revolution the iden- 
tity of the Swedes and Welsh had largely disappeared. 

28. Quakers. — The Province of Pennsylvania was founded 
by William Penn to provide a refuge for the Quakers for the exercise 
of their religious and political beliefs in particular, and for the op- 
pressed of all nations in general. Human equality was, with the 
Quakers, a cardinal principle of their social and political institutions. 
Their religious organization was centred in the Yearly Meeting, 
composed of all the members of the Society, men and women. The 
Quarterly Meetings reported to the Yearly Meeting, and were, in 
their turn, divided into Monthly Meetings, "the real working bodies 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



93 




94 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

of the organization, in matters relating to the individual members." 
The first Philadelphia Yearly Meeting dates from a gathering at 
Burlington, N. J., on August 31, 1681. At first alternating between 
Burlington and Philadelphia, its permanent meetings were finally 
held in the latter place. The organization was such that had all the 
inhabitants been Friends there would have been little need for civil 
government ; their own tribunals settled many matters without cost 
that in a mixed community must have come before courts of 
law. They were not highly educated, but insisted on elementary 
education ; and the first laws of the Province contained a provision 
that children at twelve years of age should learn a trade. The early 
settlers were chiefly English yeomen, tillers of the soil. The Quaker's 
conscience was his guide to life. He was obedient, reverential and 
submissive ; he was peaceful and accurate in the performance of gov- 
ernmental duties ; but he resisted quietly and decisively all legislation 
ofifensive to his convictions. 

Notwithstanding that Penn was a Quaker and the founder of a 
Quaker State, his original idea of himself dispensing liberty and 
freedom to his people did not meet with the support that he hoped 
it would. The Quakers, at once dominating the Assembly, im- 
mediately demanded more liberty and greater freedom than their 
great co-religionist felt should have been asked of him. Neverthe- 
less, the freedom ultimately obtained in Pennsylvania resulted from 
the agitation instituted by the Quakers. 

Quakers formed the majority in the Council during Penn's life- 
time, and later his widow directed that the Deputy Governor should 
choose at least half the Council from the Quakers. From 1682 to 
1756 the Quakers had complete possession of the Assembly. There 
was a Quaker majority in the country districts probably as late as 
1740 or 1750, but never in the city of Philadelphia after the first few 
years of settlement. It has been estimated that the population of 
the city and country were about equal in 1702, when the Quakers 
formed one-third of the city and two-thirds of the country. From 
that time they fell into the minority, and in 1756 are supposed to have 
comprised but a sixth of the population. The Quaker control of the 
Assembly was complete until 1756, when questions relating to the 
Indian wars becoming acute, they withdrew from participation in 
the Civil Government. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



95 




X10dcf)i 



tn 






lihzxQtbtti t^i'^tn/' 
mh 

3utn Unf?tri(f)t ImT / To cfwan lercrfs ^ttjo^^n/ ^te r tiD<5 
th^ im \t\ London ({tb^ucfUm pnt)aIJ)ar Ut) Benjamin Clarck 

•^UlbhaaMcrn in George- Yatd Lombatd-fttect 6tfut(i(()$m 

Ecglifchesj ft^er^tfr ^<r. 

©ftretlxii bf^obertt^nten Will. Penns. 
3" 2I»«n<ttQm/ gc^riK^&Cp Chriflcff Cuoradot. 

FAC-SIMILE OF TITLE PAGE OF GERMAN TRANSLATION OF PENN's "sOME ACCOUNT 

OF THE PROVINCE." 



96 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

The Quakers sought to maintain absolute religious liberty in 
the Province; there was no toleration, for the freedom to practice 
one's own form of religion was looked upon as an inherent right. 

Until 1 71 8 the only death penalties in Pennsylvania were for 
treason and murder; an act passed in that year re-adopted for the 
Province the criminal laws of England, authorizing the infliction of 
the death penalty for many crimes, including robbery, burglary, 
malicious maiming, arson, manslaughter by stabbing, and, after- 
wards, counterfeiting. It was an act drawn up by a Quaker lawyer, 
passed by a Quaker Assembly, and satisfactory to a Quaker com- 
munity. 

The withdrawal of the Quakers from the Assembly in 1756, 
which resulted in their loss of control of that body, was not accom- 
panied with a complete withdrawal from all public offices. Some 
Quakers continued to be chosen to the Assembly, and a number of 
them continued to hold office. The general conduct of affairs re- 
mained much as it was before, save that war taxes were levied more 
openly. But the Quakers had no sooner retired from the Legislature 
than a fresh question of great importance came up, viz., their per- 
sonal war policy. Heretofore their position had been veiled by 
legislative action or inaction ; they were now called upon to de- 
termine their individual action, and laid themselves open to individual 
criticism. There had never been any doubt as to that position from 
the beginning ; they were for peace under all circumstances and were 
rigidly opposed to war. But the Indian horrors to which the Prov- 
ince became subjected brought questions of defence and of aggressive 
warfare home to them, and to the people at large, in a new and per- 
sonal way. Yet they did not move from their original position 
during these terrible wars; and now, for the first time, provoked 
the hostile criticism of the entire non-Quaker population by what 
seemed a sinful indifference. 

The conservative position maintained by Pennsylvania during 
the years immediately preceding the Revolution was largely due 
to Quaker influence. To the Quakers was chiefly due the moderate 
but firm protest against the Stamp Act, which was in marked con- 
trast with the riotous proceedings in the other colonies, and which 
doubtless counted for more in London because of this. But as the 
crisis approached, and the times became more exciting, the Quakers 
withdrew from active participation, and constant advice, both by 
meetings and by influential members, was given to keep free from 



r,|- ?/F-^'=*'^:^--^^r^^ri^ 




/ . \ 



X 






Pl, 



w 



\a 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 97 

all "commotion." On January 20, 1776, they issued an address de- 
fining their position as opposed to extreme measures, a paper that 
greatly offended the Revolutionary Party. Many young Quakers 
had, meanwhile, joined the military companies, and, throughout 
the Revolution, Quakers were found in responsible positions in the 
army and actively assisting in the Revolutionary cause. 

The general position of the Quakers was that they did not be- 
lieve in revolutions ; that they did not approve of the irritating 
proceedings of the British ministers ; that they would have joined in 
peaceful legal resistance to British encroachments ; that they could 
not join either side ; that they could not recognize a Revolutionary 
Government raised by illegal means ; that they would not assist the 
British in wrongful means used to conquer rebellious colonists ; and 
that they were completely out of the whole matter. They desired to 
be considered neutrals, neither helping the Americans nor acting as 
spies for the British. The feeling of resentment towards the 
Quakers by the Americans was such that in 1777 twenty influential 
Friends were arrested and sent into exile in Virginia. 

The Quakers not only refused to actively participate in the 
Revolution, but they maintained their independent position by refus- 
ing to pay war taxes, subscribing to tests of allegiance or supplying 
provisions to the military power except to relieve suffering. They 
became exceedingly unpopular, and their refusal to take the test of 
allegiance to the State of Pennsylvania resulted in imprisonment, iot 
which fines were afterwards substituted. The test of allegiance 
was required of school teachers, and many Quaker schools were 
closed and some teachers imprisoned because of a refusal to pay the 
fines. The Quakers went so far as to advise against grinding corn 
for the army, making weapons, or otherwise engaging in profitable 
trade with it, or even shipping goods in armed ships. About 400 
actively took part in the war and accepted positions under the revo- 
lutionary government and perhaps 20 openly supported the British 
cause. Some of these who took part in the war founded a new sect 
called "The Religious Society of Friends," sometimes called the 
"Free Quakers." The oldest survivor of this movement died in 1836. 

After the Revolutionary War the Quakers ceased to be a politi- 
cal factor in Pennsylvania, as, in fact, they had ceased to be some 
time before that period. Their history is no longer concerned with 
the State, but with their own development as a religious organiza- 
tion. They still exist in considerable numbers in Philadelphia and in 



98 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Their political and social influence 
was very marked in the State from the earliest days, and is still ap- 
parent in many ways. 

29. Welsh. — The Welsh formed the most considerable body 
of emigrants to Pennsylvania for the first sixteen or twenty years 
after its foundation in 1682; few of them came after 1700, although 
they long remained a distinctive part of the population. Most of 
them were Quakers, but their number contained some Baptists and 
Episcopalians. Few had any knowledge of the English language. 

Penn had promised them a tract of 40,000 acres for their ex- 
clusive use, and on the arrival of the first settlers this was given them 
on land west of the Schuylkill. This district was first known as the 
Welsh Barony, and afterwards as the Welsh Tract ; it was pro- 
posed as a manor, and might have developed into a palatinate. The 
civil authority was exercised by the Welsh Quaker Meetings until 
1690, when it was abolished in the three townships of Merion, Haver- 
ford and Radnor, and the usual township government substituted 
for it. Previous to this, however, Penn had thrown the barony open 
to settlers other than Welshmen, as they had refused to pay for the 
whole of their tract, contending that payment should only be made 
on the portions actually occupied. The original idea of the settlers 
was to form a settlement exclusively Welsh, a State within a State. 
The influence of the Welsh may still be noted in the names of a num- 
ber of places near Philadelphia and in many families descended from 
the early settlers. 

30. Germans. — The German emigration to Pennsylvania 
formed one of the most important elements in the settlement and 
development of the Province, and their descendants still constitute 
a considerable proportion of the population, which are popularly 
called Pennsylvania Dutch. There were many other early Ger- 
man communities and settlements in America, but those in Pennsyl- 
vania were by far the largest and most important. 

Penn's travels in Germany had brought him in contact with 
many of the new sects that were then coming into existence in that 
country, and on receiving the grant of his Province he immediately 
sought them as settlers for his new lands. The political and religious 
condition of Germany at that time was very favorable for emigration. 
The peasants and farmers had not yet recovered from the effects of 
the Thirty Years' War, and the land was still suffering from the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 99 

effects of a widespread and prolonged destitution. The responses 
to Penn's appeals were quick. Two companies were formed, the Cre- 
feld Economy, in which the members purchased land in their in- 
dividual capacity, the first conveyance being dated March 10, 1682, 
and the Frankfort Company, to which 11,000 acres were sold be- 
tween May 8 and June 6, 1683, and afterwards increased to 25,000 
acres. The settlers from Crefeld reached Philadelphia October 6, 
1683, and formed the first settlement of Germantown. 

The settlement of the Frankfort Company was also at German- 
town, and its affairs were in the hands of Francis Daniel Pastorius, 
who was sent to America for that purpose. Pastorius was one of 
the notable figures in the early history of Germantown ; he kept 




the court records, compiled the ordinances and laws, was bailiff of 
Germantown when it was incorporated May 31, 1691, a justice of 
the peace and county judge, and member of Assembly in 1687 and 
1 69 1. Germantown was long the centre of German influence in 
Pennsylvania. 

The earliest arrivals were Mennonites, members of the various 
German sects, such as Pietists, German Baptist Brethren (Tunkers), 
Schwenkfelders and others, many of whom were Sectarians and 
represented some of the strange phases of religious thought that was 
then very prevalent in Germany. Many Mennonites came from the 
parts of Germany adjacent to Holland, as well as from Switzerland. 
The emigration was sporadic and unimportant between 1683 and 
1709, but in the latter year it began to develop rapidly. Many came 
from Alsace, Suabia, Saxony and other parts of the empire, and 
especially from the Palatinate, as the country was called adjacent to 
the Rhine. So numerous was the emigration from the latter region 
that all German emigrants were generally designated as Palatines. 
The chief periods of the German emigration have been classified as 
follows : 

1. From 1683 to 1708: Mennonites and Pietists. 

2. From 1708 to 1720. Largely of a religious character; to- 
wards the end of this period came the Tunkers, Mennonites, and 
other non-orthodox sects. 



L cfC. 



loo PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

3. From 1720 to 1730. Large importations from the Palati- 
nate, Wurtemberg, Hesse-Darmstadt, etc., with Germans from the 
Province of New York, Many of these people were in a state of 
extreme poverty. 

4. From 1730 to 1740. Chiefly members of the regular 
churches; first the Reformed, then the Lutherans, then the 
Moravians. 

5. Later emigration. 

Many pamphlets and books were written by Penn and others 
and distributed by Benjamin Furly with the view of stimulating Ger- 
man emigration. Most of these are now excessively rare, and are 
greatly prized by collectors. Many thousands of Palatines emi- 
grated by way of England, where they suffered great privations, some 
dying and others being sent to Ireland and America, or returned to 
Germany. Others came directly from Germany, a regular traffic in 
emigrants being established by unprincipled shippers. Persons un- 
able to pay their passage money were carried to America under an 
agreement to sell themselves or their labor for a term of years, as a 
means of reimbursing the agents for their outlay. Such persons were 
known as Redemptioners or Indentured Servants, and differed 
from serfs only in that their services were limited and self-imposed. 

The German Baptist Brethren, called Tunkers, corrupted into 
Dunker, Dunkard, Tumpler or Dumpier, were a sect that came to 
Pennsylvania in a body between 1719 and 1729. Like the Mennon- 
ites they organized schools. A printing press was established by 
Christopher Saur at Germantown in 1738; first number of his Ger- 
the accustomed type of both the English and German languages. 

The German Seventh=Day Baptists were an off-shoot from the 
Tunkers, under the guidance of Conrad Beissel, a Pietist and 
Mystic, who came to Pennsylvania in 1720. In 1732 he settled on 
Cacalico Creek in Lancaster County, and afterwards founded there 
the celebrated Monastery or Cloister of Ephrata. Its printing press, 
set up about 1742, was the first in the western world to print with 
man newspaper issued August, 1739. 

The Schwenkfelders were also an important sect. About 
70 families arrived in September and October, 1734, and were fol- 
lowed by others, until the entire sect had settled in the Province. 
They established themselves on the branches of the Skippack and 
the Perkiomen, where their successors still live, retaining many of 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. loi 

the customs of their ancestors. A number of other sects were in- 
cluded in the German emigration, each having peculiar doctrines and 
customs of their own. Lancaster County alone is said at one time 
to have contained more than thirty sects. Many German hermits 
also established themselves near Philadelphia, almost the whole of 
the early German population being characterized by a mysticism 
that forms one of the most singular chapters in the religious history 
of Pennsylvania. 

In 1 71 7 the German emigration had grown to such large pro- 
portions, that Governor Keith called the attention of the Provincial 
Council to it, and suggested some safeguards against it. In 1727 
some regulations were adopted, requiring registration and the taking 
of an oath of allegiance. In 1785 an appeal was made to the Legis- 
lature for the mitigation of the horrors of emigrant sea-voyaging, 
but no real improvement was consummated until 181 8. 

Many of the Germans were farmers and excelled in this calling. 
They were economical in their methods and in the utilization of 
land. They adherred to their native language, which is still used 
in many of their churches, and is frequently the only tongue under- 
stood and used by many persons in Pennsylvania whose ancestors 
long since settled there. As a whole they were not opposed to edu- 
cation, and established schools from the earliest date. Michael 
Schlatter and Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the leaders of the Re- 
formed and Lutheran Germans, were in favor of the higher educa- 
tion, and after the Revolution the Reformed and Lutherans estab- 
lished Franklin College at Lancaster in 1787. It formed the begin- 
nings of the institution now known as the Franklin and Marshall 
College. 

The Germans separated themselves from the English and lived 
in their own communities, speaking their own language and follow- 
ing their own customs. In the Revolution they sided cordially with 
the Americans, and such as were not non-combatants from re- 
ligious principles took up arms and served in the Pennsylvania regi- 
ments during the war. Notwithstanding their independent Ian- 
gauge they became thoroughly Americanized, and at the present 
day have nothing in common with the contemporary German 
emigrants, who are constantly looking back to the Fatherland. In 
the early days of the Province they usually sided almost completely 
with the Quakers, partly because many of them were likewise op- 
posed to war, and partly because they seemed to recognize that much 



I02 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

of the prosperity of the Province was directly due to the Quaker 
founder and his co-reHgionists. For many years during the Pro- 
vincial Period they enabled the Quakers to maintain their political 
supremacy in Pennsylvania by regularly voting for them. 

The "church people," as the Reformed and Lutherans were 
called, only began to arrive in considerable numbers after 1725. The 
former were chiefly from Switzerland and the Palatinate, the latter 
from Wiirtemberg and other parts of Germany. They were at first 
completely without church organization, but soon gathered them- 
selves into congregations which were further strengthened by the 
labors of Schlatter and Muhlenberg. Schlatter was the leader of 
the Reformed, and made their churches a part of the Synod of 
Holland, under which they remained until they became an independ- 
ent American church in 1793. Muhlenberg, who reached Penn- 
sylvania in 1742, became the leader of the Lutherans in Pennsylvania 
and in the colonies. These two men, with Saur of Germantown and 
his newspaper, were the three leaders of opinion among the Germans 
in colonial Pennsylvania. 

The later religious history of the Germans is especially notable 
for the extended Methodist revival which took place among them, 
and for the United Brethren Church, which was originally composed 
almost exclusively of Pennsylvania Germans. Politically the Ger- 
mans long took an important part in Pennsylvania, all the Governors 
of the State from 1808 to 1838 with one exception being of German 
origin, as well as several later ones, including Governor Pennypacker, 
and during the early period the candidates of both parties were fre- 
quently both Germans. 

31. Moravians. — The Moravians originated among the fol- 
lowers of John Huss in Bohemia and Moravia in the fifteenth cen- 
tury. Their church has been variously known as the Brethren's 
Church, the Unitas Fratrum, the Bohemian and Moravian Brethren, 
the Church of the United Brethren and the Moravian Church, Their 
religious beliefs did not differ greatly from that of the Lutherans. 
Exhausted by persecution the survivors were invited to Germany by 
Nicholas Louis, Count Zinzendorf (b.i7oo-d.i76o), in 1722, and be- 
came so thoroughly a German sect that all the Moravians who came 
to America were Germans. In 1735 they began to arrive, first set- 
tling in Georgia. In 1739 they first appeared in Pennsylvania at 
Nazareth, near the Lehigh River. In 1741 they removed further 
south and founded Bethlehem, which became their headquarters, and 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 103 

from whence they spread to other parts of the State and even sent 
forth colonies to other parts of America. 

In the same year Zinzendorf came to Pennsylvania and devoted 
himself to missionary work, posing as a Lutheran clergyman. At 
that time many of the Germans in Pennsylvania were without or- 
ganized religious association, and many of them were without church 
connection. Zinzendorf proposed, among other plans, a scheme of 
union of the German Protestants in a common synod ; but after five 
years it dissolved without accomplishing any permanent results. The 
Moravians were particularly successful in Christianizing the Indians, 
but the results of their efforts were dissipated in the French and 
Indian wars. Like the Quakers and Mennonites, the Moravians 
were non-combatants, and obtained an act of Parliament exempting 




SEAL OF UNITAS FRATRUM. 



them from military service. At the beginning of the Revolution 
they were conservatives or neutrals, but a number of them espoused 
the American cause as the war progressed. 

Bethlehem was, very early, the seat of many thriving Moravian 
industries, and no land was sold in the town to others than Moravians 
until 1844. The later development of the iron industry at this place 
has made it one of the most prosperous towns in Pennsylvania. 

32. Scotch=Irish and Presbyterians. — The Scotch-Irish and 
the Presbyterians formed the third great body of emigrants to Penn- 
sylvania. The Presbyterians in the eastern part of the Province in- 
cluded some Englishmen ; those in the western part were almost ex- 
clusively Scotch-Irish. They originated in Scotch and English peo- 
ple who had taken up Irish estates confiscated under Elizabeth, James 
I. and Charles I. This had been begun about seventy years before 
the founding of Pennsylvania, and was increased by further con- 
fiscations under Cromwell, when many Englishmen joined in the 



I04 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

movement. Called Ulstcrmen in Ireland, they are known as Scotch- 
Irish in America. They began to emigrate to America about 1700, 
and the movement lasted for forty or fifty years. 

Scattering themselves throughout the Province, the larger part 
settled in what is now known as the Cumberland Valley, but some of 
the early arrivals settled on the Lehigh and in Bucks and Lancaster 
Counties. They caused much trouble in occupying land not pur- 
chased from the proprietors, and further difficulties were occasioned 
by taking lands from the Indians without buying it. In 1743 the 
proprietors took steps to eject them from their unpurchased lands, 
and they only submitted to leases and purchases after legal proceed- 
ings had been begun. 

They were essentially frontier settlers, and their natural char- 
acteristics and the distance of their farms and settlements from the 
more developed eastern part of the Province led them, in many in- 
stances, to take the law into their own hands. After 1755, when 
the French and Indian wars began, they maintained a constant war- 
fare with the latter; yet in 1768, when the land west of the Al- 
leghanies was opened to settlement, they gladly availed themselves 
of the opportunity to move still further westward. They eagerly 
and completely adopted the American cause in the Revolution, and 
during that period dominated the politics of the State. 

33. Episcopalians. — The Charter of Charles 11. provided that 
when twenty persons should petition for a parish of the Church of 
England it should be established. No attempt to do so was made 
until 1695, when Christ Church was formed in Philadelphia. Never 
strong numerically, and not constituting a wave of immigration, the 
Episcopalians formed an important element in Philadelphia, and in- 
cluded many eminent Pennsylvanians among their numbers. This 
was strengthened by the establishment of the College of Philadel- 
phia, afterwards the University of Pennsylvania, of which the cele- 
brated Rev. Dr. William Smith was the first Provost, and who after- 
wards took a very active part in the political life of the Province. 
They long controlled the executive portion of the government, owing 
to the fact that the sons of William Penn became members of the 
Church of England after the death of their father; but their 
political activity ceased in 1776, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMBR. 105 



CHAPTER VI. 
The Indians. 

34. Indians in Pennsylvania. — The Indians east of the Mis- 
sissippi River were the Algonquin, who Hved on the coast and the 
country between the great lakes and the Ohio River; and the Iro- 
quois, who Hved in Ontario, Western New York, Northern Penn- 
sylvania and the valley of the Susquehanna. The latter were almost 
entirely surrounded by the Algonquin, who were called Lenape in 
Pennsylvania, and were there divided into three sub-tribes (i), the 
Minsi or Minisinks, living in the mountainous regions above the 
junction of the Delaware and the Lehigh; (2), the Unami, with 
lands extending from the Lehigh to (3), those of the Unalachtigo, 
who centred about Wilmington, Delaware. Penn's treaties were 
made with the two latter tribes. 

The celebrated Iroquois League, known as the "Five Nations," 
was composed of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cuyagas and 
Senecas. The Tuscaroras, who had lived in North Carolina, came 
to New York early in the eighteenth century, and were admitted to 
the League, which was thenceforth known as the "Six Nations." 
This confederacy claimed the right of ownership over most of the 
territory included within the limits of Pennsylvania. Locally the 
Indians in the Province were knowns as the Delawares, who oc- 
cupied land from the sources of the Delaware and Susquehanna 
rivers to the Lehigh Hills and west of the Susquehanna ; the Shaw- 
anese, who came from Ohio, located in the Far West (Fort Pitt) 
and then spread to the Lehigh and Delaware, with some near Phila- 
delphia and others in Wyoming; all returned to the Ohio by 1745; 
the Nanticokes, who came from Maryland and spread into Wyom- 
ing ; and the Conestogoes, who were settled in Lancaster County near 
the mouth of Conestogoe Creek. 

The relations between Penn and the Indians of his Province 
form one of the brightest and most memorable chapters in the his- 
tory of Pennsylvania. His conduct with them was based on the 
fundamental principle of perfect fairness and justice. In the instruc- 
tions to the three commissioners who followed Markham he wrote : 
"Be tender of offending the Indians." In a letter addressed to the 



io6 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Indians August i8, 1681, he wrote: "I have great love and regard 
towards you, and I desire to win and gain your love and friendship 
by a kind, just and peaceable life." Again, February 21, 1682, he 
wrote: "I have already taken care that none of my people wrong 
you, by good laws I have provided for that purpose." 

Although he had paid King Charles for the Province, Penn 
recognized Indian ownership, and purchased from them all the land 
he acquired, paying a price which, while not large by modern stand- 
ards, was more than was paid in other colonies. This, he main- 
tained, was an act of justice, to which both parties gave their volun- 
tary assent, and he greatly impressed the Indians by this position. 
He insisted that wrong-doers towards the Indians should be treated 
as though their crimes had been directed against fellow settlers, and 
that Indian criminals should be proceeded against before magis- 
trates as though they were white. 

The great distinction of Penn was that he not only made 
promises of fair treatment to the Indians, but kept them; and for 
seventy years the people of his Province enjoyed unexampled pros- 
perity and security because of this fact, which rightly ranks among 
the most extraordinary elements of Pennsylvania's greatness. It 
excited the utmost wonder in Europe, and so aroused the enthusiasm 
of Voltaire that he declared advancing years alone prevented him 
from taking up his abode in a country that was distinguished by so 
remarkable a circumstance. 

The general policy adopted by Penn and his sons was so favor- 
able to the Indians that time and again they repurchased land 
already paid for, and made successive treaties for territory they had 
acquired. Modern research has established the fact that no great 
treaty was made under the elm at Philadelphia in 1682 or 1683 that 
in any way corresponds to the popular conception of this event, but 
the traditions of such a treaty were very positive among the Indians, 
and there is no doubt such an arrangement was made, although it 
certainly was devoid of the picturesque features perpetuated in Ben- 
jamin West's celebrated painting, painted over a century later; and 
the treaty, if made at all, was made in 1683 and not in 1682, as was 
long supposed. 

As the population of the Province increased the pressure for 
new lands became so pronounced that the Indian lands were invaded 
without preliminary purchase, and was the cause of the Indian 
troubles that afterwards devastated the colony. As early as 1687 the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



107 




io8 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Indians complained of the injury done them by the sale of rum ; from 
1722 onwards complaints concerning land transactions were made; 
and in 1727 a protest was recorded against the traders who cheated 
them. 

The first serious cause of discontent was in 1737 on the oc- 
casion of a confirmation of the Walking Purchase of 1686. The 
land covered by this deed, which was of doubtful authenticity, had 
not been located, and it was now proposed to define it. The deed 
was said to have been obtained by William Penn for lands from 
Neshaminy Creek westward "as far in the woods as a man could go 
in a day and a half." The land was not needed at the time the 
treaty was said to have been made, and it was only brought forward 
in 1737. Unusual preparations were made; the route was surveyed 
and cleared, horses were provided to carry the walkers across rivers, 
and every convenience for rapid work prepared. Swift runners were 
employed, of whom the Indians complained they could not keep pace 
with, and the land as defined was made to include the "forks" of 
the Delaware, a desirable tract not contemplated by the original 
deed. The Indians in this region announced they would resist re- 
moval by force, and the proprietors appealed to the Six Nations ; 
who, in a treaty in 1742 decided in their favor and ordered the re- 
moval of the Delawares to Wyoming, Shamokin and the Ohio. The 
episode marks the real beginning of Indian troubles in Pennsyl- 
vania, for the Indians never forgave the Penns for their action, and 
their resentment deepened into hatred and a desire for revenge which 
the French speedily fanned into active warfare. 

Title to the new lands being thus obtained, the Six Nations de- 
manded that settlers who had taken up unpurchased lands along the 
Juniata and the west banks of the Susquehanna, should be removed. 
An extended controversy arose, and as a means of relief the settlers 
were forced to remove in 1750, but only to return in larger numbers 
after their cabins had been destroyed. The Albany Purchase of 
1754, by which the Penns acquired all of Western Pennsylvania 
south and west of a line drawn from Shamokin to Lake Erie, was a 
further source of dissatisfaction to the Indians of Pennsylvania. 

The French in Western Pennsylvania. — The claim of the 
French to the western part of the Continent of North America con- 
stituted a formidable menace to the English colonies. It rested on 
their occupation, and specifically for Pennsylvania was based on the 
discovery of the Ohio and its tributaries by La Salle in 1669; the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



109 




FRENCH MAP OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 



no PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

English claim was based on the discovery of the Atlantic coast by the 
Cabots. In 1749 the French sent out an expedition under Celoron de 
Bienville, which deposited leaden plates at the mouths of the principal 
streams setting forth their claim to the territory along the Allegheny 
and Ohio rivers. In 1753 Duquesne, Governor of Canada, dis- 
patched an expedition which erected forts at Presqu' Isle [Erie], Le 
Boeuf [Waterford] and Venango [Franklin]. The Ohio Company, 
established by royal grant in 1749 for trading purposes on the Ohio 
River, protested against these proceedings to Robert Dinwiddle, Gov- 

X-'AM 1>4P J}V "REGNE DI LOVI.$ XV "ROY 3>i:^ 
FKANCE MOV5 CELOROIM COMM AMDATvTT "DVN 

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FAC-SIMILE CF A CELORON PLATE, 1749- 

ernor of Virginia, who, in 1753, sent George Washington, then a 
youth, to present a formal request for the withdrawal of the French 
troops to Legardeur de St. Pierre, the French commandant. Wash- 
ington reached the forks of the Ohio November 23, and afterwards 
visited Forts Venango and Le Boeuf. He returned to Williamsburg 
early in 1754, bearing a sealed letter from St. Pierre, declining to 
discuss treaties. An expedition for the expulsion of the French was 
immediately organized by Virginia, and the command of two com- 
panies was given to Washington. The news of the surrender of the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. in 

fort at the forks of the Ohio by Ensign Ward marked the begin- 
ning of the French and Indian War, which lasted seven years. 

Washington continued his advance with 150 men, looking for 
larger reinforcements under Col. Fry. In May he threw up an en- 
trenchment at Great Meadows called Fort Necessity, and on the 27th 
attacked a company of French and Indians under de Jumonville, 
which he defeated in a severe skirmish. Shortly after he was joined 
by Fry's troops, and Fry having died, the chief command devolved 
upon Washington. On July 3 Fort Necessity was attacked by a 
strong force under Coulon de Villiers, and Washington, realizing 
the strength of his opponents, surrendered and retired with the 
honors of war, returning to Williamsburg. 

The French were exceedingly active in promoting discontent 
among the Indians. They were continuing their efforts for the con- 
trol of America, and hoped, by dominating the land to the west of 
the colonies, to shut them off from westward expansion. The treaty 
of Aix-la-Chapelle, which nominally brought peace to England and 
France in Europe, was without effect on the French in America, 
who continued their encroachments to such an extent that the British 
ministry in January, 1755, sent Major-General Edward Braddock 
to America with 500 men to put an end to these aggressions. He 
landed at Hampton, Va., in February. 

Braddock's Expedition was the first important British cam- 
paign in the interior of the American forest. Owing to disputes in 
the Assembly no money was voted to the expedition by the Province, 
but a post road towards the Ohio and provisions were granted, and 
wagons and other help were obtained by Benjamin Franklin, the 
royal Postmaster General in Pennsylvania, who assumed consider- 
able personal obligations in providing this assistance. In June, with 
Braddock's disappearance into the forest, the first Indian massacre in 
Pennsylvania occurred, 30 people being killed. July 9, 1755, Brad- 
dock, who had been joined by Washington with a little more than 
2,000 men, was defeated at a point about seven miles from Fort 
Duquesne. The catastrophe was chiefly owing to his unfamiliarity 
with Indian warfare ; for while his troops were accustomed to fight- 
ing in the open field and were well trained in European methods, they 
were totally unprepared for the Indian sharpshooting from behind 
trees and their defeat was practically inevitable. 

The expedition was most disastrous to Pennsylvania, for the 
Indians immediately entered upon a campaign of border warfare, 
the horrors of which, while long familiar to other colonies, had here- 



112 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 











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PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 113 

tofore been unknown in the Province. Farms were plundered, and 
men, women and children murdered with the terrible refinements of 
Indian cruelty. Quakers and Moravians found their scruples against 
war and military service not so pronounced as they had thought 
them to be now their own homes and lives were attacked. A military 
law was passed by the Assembly November, 1755, and Franklin was 
named commander of the first company organized under it. In the 
following year a further effort at protection was made by beginning 
a chain of forts from the Delaware River near Easton along the 
frontier to the forks of the Susquehanna, and thence to the Maryland 
boundary, at a cost of £85,000. About fifty forts were erected, but 
many of the worst atrocities of the Indians were committed be- 
neath their walls. They were chiefly valuable as places of refuge 

(§64). 

In July, 1755, a treaty of peace was made with the Delawares 
and Shawanese that was largely brought about by Quaker influence. 
In August of the same year a vigorous campaign was undertaken 
against the Indians still engaged in war, and an expedition was led 
against the Indian village of Kittanning on the Allegheny by Col. 
John Armstrong, the first real soldier produced in Pennsylvania. 
The movement was entirely successful ; the village was destroyed 
and the Indians did not again locate themselves east of Fort Du- 
quesne. The beneficial effects of this battle lasted but six months, 
and then the western tribes renewed their activity against the Prov- 
ince. There were no notable massacres as in the earlier years of the 
war, but the Indians advanced to within thirty miles of Philadelphia, 
and the people were kept in a state of constant terror. In 1757 
William Pitt, on becoming Prime Minister of England, adopted a 
broader policy towards the colonies, with a view of ending the war. 
A large army was dispatched to America and a better feeling was 
developed between the colonies and England. The war was ended 
November 25, so far as Pennsylvania was concerned, by the aban- 
donment of Fort Duquesne to an expedition conducted by Brigadier- 
General John Forbes. The troops remaining on the site gave the 
name of Pittsburg to the village they built for their shelter, and in 
the following autumn General Stanwix built a larger fort, called, 
like the other one. Fort Pitt. Meanwhile difficulties with the Indians 
had been greatly lessened by a convention at Easton in October, 
which was attended by the Governors of Pennsylvania and New 
Jersey, and many provincial officials and citizens and about 300 



114 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

chiefs. The lands obtained by the Penns at the Albany purchase 
were reconveyed back to the Indians. 

Pontiac's War. — The war between France and England was 
concluded by the treaty of Paris, signed February lo, 1763. The 
celebrated Indian Pontiac, chief of the Ottawas, then undertook to 
regain for the French in America what they had lost at Paris, and 
immediately began a campaign against the English that speedily 
destroyed the more important forts, leaving only Detroit, Niagara 
and Fort Pitt in the hands of the English. In June, 1763, scalping 
parties appeared in the Province, and the unsuspecting people were 
once more forced to fly from their homes. A notable victory was 
gained at Bushy Run, almost on the site of Braddock's memorable 
defeat, by Col. Henry Bouquet, who had gone to the relief of Fort 
Pitt. Superior generalship and a perfect knowledge of Indian 
methods gave a victory to the English forces that is rightly ranked 
among the most remarkable conflicts between the whites and savages 
in America, 

The war conducted by Pontiac produced the utmost feeling of 
resentment towards the Indians, especially among the Scotch-Irish 
settlers, who had then become conspicuous for the first time in the 
Province. Though they had declined to help Bouquet in his march 
towards Bushy Run, they soon afterwards organized ranging com- 
panies for their own protection. Fresh conflict was induced by sus- 
picion of the friendly Conestogoe Indians, who were the survivors 
of the clans that had met the first settlers on the opening of the 
Province, and of the Moravian Indians, a name given to the Indians 
converted by the Moravians, and who lived near Bethlehem. In 
December, 1763, a small company of helpless Indians were murdered 
by a band of rangers from Paxton, near Harrisburg. The remainder 
of the band, fourteen in number, were imprisoned at Lancaster, but 
the jail was captured by rangers and the Indians killed. This was 
probably the first instance of the so-called lynch law in America. 
The rangers, while strongly condemned in the eastern part of the 
Province, were fully supported by the frontier settlers. The incident 
is known as the Paxton Riots. 

The feeling against the Indians ran so high that a company of 
backwoodsmen, numbering from 590 to 1500 started in January, 
1764, for Philadelphia, with the avowed purpose of seizing 140 
Moravian Indians that had been taken to that city, but were turned 
back at Germantown. The Indian problem had now resolved itself 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 115 

into a conflict between the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and the 
Quakers and the provincial government. The former submitted a 
statement of grievances directed against the Indians, the govern- 
ment and Quaker control. Governor John Penn thereupon issued a 
proclamation on July 7, 1764, offering bounties for the lives and 
scalps of Indian enemies. It was a melancholy end to the wise and 
fraternal policy of the founder of the Province. The war with 
Pontiac was finally ended in 1764 by Col. Bouquet, who conducted 
an expedition into Ohio at the same time that Gen. Bradstreet was 
sent through the lakes to relieve Detroit. 

In the revolution the colonists were not only fighting for political 
rights from the English, but they had also to defend their territorial 
rights against the Indians. This aspect of the conflict was of special 
importance to Virginia and Pennsylvania. The Indians fought not 
only with the English against the colonists, but fought on their own 
account for lands they desired. Throughout this entire period there 
was more or less border warfare with the Indians, and several seri- 
ous engagements of troops. The colonists were once more com- 
pelled to protect themselves by means of companies of rangers. 

The last Indian war within Pennsylvania prior to the Revolu- 
tion was in the extreme southwest in 1774. It was known as Cre- 
sap's or Lord Dunmore's War, from Lord Dunmore, Governor 
of Virginia, who undertook to assert the claims of Virginia to south- 
western Pennsylvania by arms (see §39). Ligonier was the centre 
of Pennsylvania influence in the region. The Indians were particu- 
larly aggressive, although claiming the war was with the Virginians. 
It was the last American conflict in which the colonists engaged with 
the mother country as her subjects. The name of Cresap's was 
sometimes given to this conflict because of the alleged, but wrong, 
connection of Capt. Michael Cresap with the murder of the Indian 
Logan and his family, an event that took place early in the war. 

For many years the management of Indian affairs was in the 
hands of the Governor and Council, or members of the latter body; 
but as the Assembly made appropriations for presents to the Indians, 
it felt it should determine the disposition of the money so appro- 
priated, if not actually conduct the negotiations. Requests were 
made of the proprietors for money for this purpose on the grounds 
that they would be greatly benefited by the settlement of Indian 
affairs difficulties. In 1758 a law was enacted appointing nine com- 
missioners for Indian affairs, answerable to the Assembly, 



Ii6 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Numerous agreements with the Indians were concluded by 
means of presents, which were sums of money appropriated by the 
Assembly for this purpose. The Friendly Association (see §36) did 
much good work, but it was discouraged by the proprietors and the 
royal government. Efforts were made to bring about a better state 
of affairs by preventing the people from settling or intruding on 
Indian lands in any way, and some stringent regulations for the ac- 
complishment of this purpose were adopted in 1768 and 1769. The 
Indian troubles were, however, finally closed in Pennsylvania for the 
proprietary period by the treaty of Fort Stanwix, in 1768. The 



SHOWING THE VARIOUS PURCHASES 




Quakers did little to civilize the Indians, but moved them on from 
place to place with each new purchase; they made few or no con- 
verts to Qiristianity. 

Indian Wars inWyom ing. — See §38. 

35. Indian Purchases. — The territory of Pennsylvania was ac- 
quired by purchase from the Indians, at first by purchase from 
tribes occupying the land bought, and afterwards by treaties with 
the Six Nations. The fonner included the treaties made by William 
Penn and his agents, and comprised many sales and confirmations of 
deeds in the early history of the Province. The latter included six 
treaties as follows: 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 117 

I. September 17, 1718, from the Delawares, confirmed by the 
Five Nations, October 25, 1736, for land in the southeast portion of 
the Province. 2. October 11, 1736, from the Five Nations at Phila- 
delphia, including a tract of land enclosing the area ceded in the first 
treaty. 3. August 22, 1749, from the Six Nations at Philadelphia, 
for a tract reaching from the Delaware to the Susquehanna to the 
north of the second purchase. 4. October 23, 1758, from the Six 
Nations at Easton, for a tract west of the Susquehanna and reaching 
to the southern boundary. 5. November 5, 1768, from the Six 
Nations at Fort Stanwix, for a vast and irregular extent of territory 
reaching from the northeast portion of the Province to the extreme 
southwest portion. 6. October 23, 1784, from the Six Nations at 
Fort Stanwix, for the remaining area in the northwest of the State. 
The Indian rights in the triangle at Lake Erie were extinguished by 
purchase in 1789. 

36. The Friendly Association. — "The Friendly Association 
for regaining and preserving peace with the Indians by pacific meas- 
ures" was formed by the Friends in 1756 for the purpose of bring- 
ing Quaker influences to bear on the adjustment of the Indian diffi- 
culties. Its necessity was deemed apparent because the executive 
of the Province had disregarded the universal peaceful and just 
policy followed by Penn, and the Friends hoped to restore it in an un- 
official way. Though without official standing and unrecognized by 
the proprietors and Governors, the Association performed much use- 
ful service. Its work was done through conferences and by presents 
of money and merchandise and several important treaties were made 
largely through its influence, especially with Tedyuscung, the cele- 
brated King of the Delaware Indians. Its later records have been 
lost, but it seems to have survived until 1764 and possibly until 1767. 



ii8 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



CHAPTER VIL 

Boundary Adjustments. 

The early history of Pennsylvania is largely taken up with three 
important boundary disputes that, at one time, threatened her ex- 
istence as a Province, and if decided against her, would have re- 




MAP ILLUSTRATING PENNSYLVANIA BOUNDARY DISPUTES. 

duced her territory to a narrow strip of land of small commercial and 
political importance. These disputes were with Maryland and Vir- 
ginia on the south, and with Connecticut and New York on the north. 
37. The Maryland Boundary. — Three points were at issue 
in the dispute over the Maryland Boundary : ( i ) the lines between 
Maryland and Delaware, then called the "Territories" or "The 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 119 

Lower Counties"; (2) the half circle forming the northern boundary 
of Delaware; and (3) the line running westward from the circle, 
forming the southern boundary of the Province. The difficulty be- 
gan with the founding of the colony in 1682 and was only settled 
in 1774. 

The dispute had its origin in some uncertainties in the geo- 
graphical limits given in the charters of Penn and Baltimore, and 
in the interpretation of certain phrases in these documents ; in the 
irregularities in the deeds of enfeoffment granted by the Duke of 
York to Penn, which never gave Penn the full legal title he thought 
he had obtained to the Lower Counties; and to the lack of sound 
geographical knowledge when the charters were drawn and the 
boundaries came to be fixed. 

The Baltimore Charter fixed the northern boundary of Mary- 
land as extending "unto that part of Delaware Bay in the north 
whicli lieth under the fortieth degree of northern latitude," and it 
was claimed this included the land contained within the whole of the 
fortieth degree, or land between the 39th and 40th parallels. Penn's 
Charter was more accurate, and placed the southern limit of Pennsyl- 
vania at the beginning of the 40th degree. Had Lord Baltimore's 
contention prevailed Philadelphia would have been a Maryland town, 
while if Penn's limits had stood Baltimore would have been within 
the limits of Pennsylvania. 

Further complications were caused by the fact that the real 
latitude of New Castle, from which the half circle forming the 
present boundary of Delaware was to be struck, had been incor- 
rectly located on the early maps, and it was impossible for a radius 
of 12 miles from that point to strike the 40th parallel. 

Penn repeatedly offered to compromise the matter and even to 
purchase a harbor for Pennsylvania at the head of the Chesapeake. 
But Baltimore refused, hoping to add to the area of his colony, and 
an appeal was taken to the Privy Council. November 7, 1685, a de- 
cision was rendered that Baltimore had no title to Delaware, as his 
grant was for land uncultivated or inhabited only by savages, while 
the district in dispute had been settled by the Dutch before Balti- 
more's grant, though abandoned and settled by the Swedes without 
recognized authority from any one. A division was then ordered by 
a line drawn between the Chesapeake and the Delaware at the lati- 
tude of Cape Henlopen, running north to the 40th degree. 



I20 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

In 1709 an appeal to the Privy Council by Lord Baltimore for 
a reversal of this judgment was refused, and the previous judgment 
ordered to be carried out. Meanwhile the uncertainty that attended 
the settlement of the 40th degree boundary had caused many diffi- 
culties among the people who had settled on the disputed region. As 
there was no definite authority to collect taxes, the people on both 
sides, fearful of being forced to pay twice, refused payment alto- 
gether, and some disturbances resulted from this state of affairs. 

In February, 1724, Charles, Lord Baltimore, made an agreement 
with Penn's widow that no further grants of land should be made 
in the disputed territory for eighteen months, in which time it was 
hoped the matter would be settled. Nothing further was done until 
1 73 1. In 1732 Baltimore signed an agreement with the Penns that 
promised a definite settlement. Commissioners were appointed by 
both parties to mark out the boundary by December 25, 1733, but 
the Maryland commissioners interposed so many causes for delay 
that nothing had been accomplished at the time set for the conclusion 
of the work. 

Lord Baltimore now claimed that the agreement had been 
broken, and made a fresh demand for the whole of Delaware. But 
the signing of the agreement was a legal fact, that rendered it amen- 
able to the action of a court of law. In 1735 the Penns filed a bill 
in equity to compel specific performances, and the case was decided 
in their favor May 15, 1750, the decision being rendered by Lord 
Chancellor Hardwicke. The Delaware line was to run west from 
near Cape Henlopen to the centre of the peninsula, thence northerly, 
tangent to the circumference of a circle drawn with a twelve mile 
radius around New Castle as a centre, and thence around the cir- 
cumference to the Delaware River. The Pennsylvania boundary 
was to start at the point of tangency and run north to a parallel of 
latitude fifteen miles south from the southernmost point of Phila- 
delphia, and then west for the whole length of the Province. 

Further objections were made until, in 1760, Frederick, Lord 
Baltimore made a new agreement with the Penns that practically 
ratified the earlier judgment. Commissioners were appointed and 
the circle around New Castle was drawn by the noted Philadelphia 
astronomer, Rittenhouse. In 1763 the two expert surveyors, Charles 
Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, were sent out by the Penns to 
complete the work. Interruptions from the Indians compelled 
them to abandon their task at the Monongahela in 1767. Their 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



121 



work was ratified by an order in Council dated January ii, 1769, 
and the celebrated Mason and Dixon Line was an accomplished 
fact. It located the southern boundary of Pennsylvania at 39' 44'. 
Stones marked with the arms of Penn and of Baltimore were erected 
at every five miles, the miles being designated with intermediate 
stones marked P and M. All the stones were brought from Eng- 
land. Over the mountains the line was marked by heaps of stones, 
and beyond with posts, heaped with stones and earth. 

In 1774 a proclamation of the Government of Pennsylvania ex- 
tended its authority over a quarter of a mile of territory that lay 




MASON AND DIXON LINE STONE NEAR OXFORD, 
CHESTER CO., PENN. 



between the actual boundary and a temporary line to which the 
settlers had been accustomed. 

The total length of the Mason and Dixon Line is 266 miles, 24 
chains, 80 links. The balance of the southern boundary of the State 
was run in 1784 by Robert Andrews, Andrew Ellicott, John Ewing, 
David Rittenhouse and John Hutchins. A resurvey of the boundary 
was made jointly under direction of the Maryland and Pennsylvania 
authorities by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1901-1903. 

38. Dispute with Connecticut. — The Royal Charter of April 
23, 1662, which united the colonies of New Haven and Connecticut, 
gave them a western boundary that extended to the Pacific Ocean, 



122 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

or the South Sea, as it was then called, but excepted from this grant 
any territory "then possessed or inhabited by other Christian prince 
or state." No claim was made to New York, which was directly 
in the path of this great westward extension, the boundary between 
the two colonies being fixed by agreement in 1664. 

In 1750 some explorers from Connecticut entered the Wyoming 
Valley, which had previously been visited by but one white man, the 
Moravian missionary. Count Zinzendorf; but it had now become 
valuable by reason of the adjoining settlements and its great fertility. 
It was forthwith claimed by Connecticut under its charter, although 
subsequent to the issuing of that document Charles II. had granted 
this land to William Penn. In 1753 the Susquehanna Company was 
formed by residents of Windham County, Connecticut, for the settle- 
ment of the region; it included 638 persons from Connecticut, 33 
from Rhode Island, 10 from Pennsylvania, 8 from New York and 5 
from Massachusetts. A deputation was sent to the Council of the 
Six Nations at Albany in 1754, and 7200 square miles of territory 
was purchased for £2,000 New York currency, July 11, though 
the land had previously been sold several times to the Penns. Other 
lands between those of the Susquehanna Company and the Delaware 
River were subsequently secretly purchased by another Connecticut 
company called the Delaware Company. 

The Susquehanna Company resolved upon five townships, each 
five miles square, to be assigned to forty settlers who would remain 
on the land and defend their property; but it was not until 1769 that 
any steady influx of settlers from Connecticut appeared in the valley. 
The first forty, who built a block house called Forty Fort, found some 
Pennsylvania settlers established near Wilkesbarre, where they had 
leased land from the Penns for seven years on condition of remain- 
ing there and defending their rights. The miniature civil strife, 
known as the Pennamite and Yankee Wars, resulted from the 
efforts of the two bodies of settlers to retain the privileges each had 
obtained from contending principals. 

The Pennsylvania settlers had Captain Amos Ogden as their 
leader, with whom was associated John Jennings, sheriff of North- 
ampton County, the official in whose name all the eft'orts to remove 
the Connecticut settlers were made. The Connecticut party attacked 
the Pennsylvanians, but were arrested by the sheriff and taken to 
Easton, where they v/ere dismissed on bail. This happened again, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



123 



but in the following year their new fort, Fort Durkee, was captured 
by Ogden, and they finally went back to Connecticut. 

The next attempt was made by some settlers from Lancaster 
County, who joined with some Connecticut men and undertook to 
establish a township given them by the Susquehanna Company. 
They captured Fort Durkee, which had been left by Ogden in the 
hands of a small force; but he returned to the valley and re-estab- 




MAP OF THE WYOMING FORTS. 



A. Site of Fort Durkee. F. The Battle Ground. 

B. Wyoming or Wiikes Barrc Fort. G. Wintermoot's Fort. 

C. Fort Ogden. H. Fort Jenkins. 

D. Village of Kingston. I. Monocasy Island. 

E. Forty Fort. J. The Three Pittstown Stockades. 



Hshed himself, but was driven out by the settlers, who, when peace 
was established, began to come into the valley in considerable num- 
bers. In September, 1770, Ogden returned, seized many of the 
settlers on the farms, captured Fort Durkee and once more broke 
up the Connecticut settlements. 

But the New Englanders returned again, only to be expelled by 
Ogden for the fifth time, and once more, in April, 1771, came again 



124 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

with about 150 men. They were now more successful, and the Penn- 
sylvania garrison was compelled to surrender to the Connecticut 
force in August. The valley now became a part of Connecticut; 
it formed the town of Westmoreland, and was made a part of 
Litchfield County in Connecticut, sending its representatives to 
Hartford. But a new settlement being made at Muncy, outside 
Westmoreland, the Penns resolved on a fresh attempt to regain the 
land, and in September, 1775, sent an expedition under Colonel 
Plunkett for that purpose. May, 1776, Westmoreland township be- 
came Westmoreland County of Connecticut. 

The chief difficulty that had attended the previous efforts of the 
Penns was that the question was largely a property one between 
them and Connecticut. In seeking to gain Wyoming the Penns 
were trying to obtain land which they would sell to settlers, a ques- 
tion in which the Province was not interested. But by the time the 
second attempt was made by the Penns they had sold a good deal 
of land in the valley in the manors of Stoke and Sunbury. People 
from Pennsylvania had settled there and Pennsylvania interests 
were now much larger than they had been. It was thus easier to 
obtain men and money, and Plunkett was sent into the valley with 
500 men. He was defeated at Nanticoke, and the Continental 
Congress having adopted a resolution calling on both parties to cease 
hostilities until the dispute could be legally disposed of, the fighting 
for Wyoming came to an end. 

In 1778 the Indians of the Six Nations, who had long regarded 
the valley with envious eyes, made a descent into it with a large body 
of British. The Indians were led by the celebrated Mohawk, Joseph 
Brant; the English by Col. John Butler. Massacre succeeded 
massacre, and culminated, July 3, in the terrible catastrophe of Forty 
Fort, in which the settlers had taken refuge, and which completeI> 
annihiliated Wyoming for the sixth time in fifteen years. This was 
the Battle of Wyoming, and the horrors that accompanied it weak- 
ened the Tory party in England and created universal sympathy for 
the American cause. It was the most disastrous victory the British 
won in America. Yet some of the settlers ventured to return later 
in the year, hoping to garner such crops as might still remain ; but 
the Indians, while no longer forming an army, continued their out- 
rages, and were only finally dispelled by General Sullivan, who 
assembled an army in Wyoming, and on July 31, 1779, moved north- 
ward into New York, where the strongholds of the Indians were, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 125 

and where he destroyed many of their towns and put an end to their 
poHtical and military importance. 

On the conclusion of peace the Supreme Executive Council of 
Pennsylvania petitioned Congress to establish a court to settle the 
matter. Seven commissioners were appointed for the purpose, Aug- 
ust 28, 1782, and five of them organized the court at Trenton, N. J., 
November 19. December 30 they announced that the court was 
"unanimously of opinion that Connecticut had no right to the lands 
in controversy," and "that the jurisdiction and pre-emption of all 
the territory lying within the charter of Pennsylvania and now 
claimed by the State of Connecticut do of right belong to the State of 
Pennsylvania," a judgment known as the Trenton Decree. No 
reasons were given for this opinion, which is notable not only for its 
importance to Pennsylvania, but because it was the first instance in 
which a serious question between two States had been settled by the 
powers given to the Union by the Articles of Confederation. 

The political questions being determined, there remained the 
property rights of the Connecticut settlers, who had acquired land 
in the valley, erected buildings and permanently established them- 
selves there. The matter was complicated by the claims of Pennsyl- 
vania men to land already occupied by the Connecticut settlers, who 
produced title-deeds of purchase from the Penns to support their 
contention. Pennsylvania refused to permit the settlement of this 
problem by Congress, and undertook the task herself. The valley 
was soon dominated by land-jobbers. Alexander Patterson and Col. 
Armstrong were sent into it with bodies of troops, nominally to effect 
a settlement, but really to oust the Connecticut settlers in the interests 
of the Pennsylvanians. Their work was so disastrous and so annoy- 
ing to the settlers that a proposal was made to create a new State out 
of the valley, and a serious efifort was made to accomplish this pur- 
pose, which at one time seemed almost realized. 

In 1787 the Assembly passed an act known as The Confirming 
Act of 1787, which undertook to settle the question by confirming 
every Connecticut settler who had a land ownership before the 
Trenton Decree, and giving to the Pennsylvania claimants land of 
equal value in the unopened lands of the State, This act was de- 
clared unconstitutional, because it took away property and substituted 
other property for it without the consent of the original owner. It 
was repealed April i, 1790, and the matter thrown into the civil 



126 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

courts, where title to the land might be legally established. The 
only case that came to trial resulted in the defeat of the Connecticut 
defendant, and in 1799 a further act was passed by the Assembly, 
known as the Compromise Act. 

This act required both Pennsylvania and Connecticut claimants 
to give their title to the Commonwealth; the former to be paid in 
money for their claims, the latter, being actual settlers and owners 
before the Trenton Decree, to receive back their land again, paying 
from eight and two-thirds cents to $2.00 per acre for it. The Penn- 
sylvania claimants frequently refused to act under this, and a further 
act of Assembly was passed in 1802, giving title to the Connecticut 
settlers without release from the Pennsylvania land-jobbers, who 
were advised to establish their rights in the courts. A final act 
was passed in 1807 which did away with the provision that the 
Connecticut settlers must have occupied land prior to the Trenton 
Decree, and allowing Pennsylvania claimants to release and be paid 
in money if they had acquired title before the Confirming Act of 
1787. 

Certified Townships, §58. 

39. Dispute with Virginia. — The boundary dispute with 
Virginia was largely concerned with a grant of 500,000 acres by 
George II. in 1749 to the Ohio Company, an organization chiefly 
composed of residents of Virginia. It was complicated by the 
indefinite claims of Virginia to the lands west and northwest of 
her coast line. The Penns tried unsuccessfully to have their western 
boundary fixed, and in 1754 Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia pro- 
posed as a safeguard against the encroachments of the French the 
erection of a fort on the site of the present city of Pittsburg. Thomas 
Penn assented to the suggestion, but stipulated that, if carried out, it 
must be without prejudice to his own claim if the site be found within 
Pennsylvania limits. The fort begun by the Virginians was cap- 
tured by the French and English before completion. About 1770 
the government of Virginia began to actively interest itself in the 
colony on the Ohio and some settlers came into the region. In 1773 
the Penns petitioned the King for the settlement of the boundary, 
but Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, denied their rights, and 
declared a large tract of land, some of which extended fifty miles 
within the Pennsylvania territory, under his control. Settlers were 
granted land by Virginia, and many petty feuds ensued between 
settlers claiming rights from both parties. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



127 




MAP OF VIRGINIA CLAIMS IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 



128 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

In 1775 a temporary boundary was proposed by the Board of 
Trade, but the proposal was unacceptable to the Penns. The matter 
was postponed, and the Revolutionary War put an end to further 
negotiations in England. During the revolution, Virginia proposed 
that the Mason and Dixon line be completed due west from the 
Delaware, and that the western boundary be fixed by a line due 
north. An agreement between the two States ratified this suggestion 
April II, 1784. The line was run to the Ohio River in 1785 by David 
Rittenhouse and Andrew Porter, acting for Pennsylvania, and 
Andrew Ellicott and Joseph Neville for Virginia. It was completed 
to Lake Erie in 1786 by Andrew Porter and Alexander McClean. 

Courts of law were established by the Governor of Virginia 
in Pittsburg, February 21, 1775, and were maintained by that State 
for West Augusta County, as it was called, until November 30, 1776, 
when the three Virginia counties of Yohogania, Ohio, and Monon- 
gahela were formed. The jurisdiction of Virginia was supreme 
over Pittsburg and the territory across the Monongahela and the 
Ohio from 1775 to 1780. The settlers generally sided with Vir- 
ginia, as that Province asked less for land than did Pennsylvania. 

40. Northern Boundary. — The northern boundary of Penn- 
sylvania was fixed by the Royal Charter at the beginning of the 43d 
degree of north latitude ; but the location of the parallel led to some 
differences of opinion between the Penns and the governors of 
New York, both parties setting up claims for the same lands. The 
Board of Trade paid no attention to several requests for a settlement 
by the Penns, and after the Revolution commissioners were appointed 
March 31, 1785, to determine the northern line of Pennsylvania. 
The line was run in 1788-87 by Andrew Ellicott for Pennsylvania 
and James Clinton and Simon Dewit for New York, and fixed at 
parallel 42*. Both States ratified this boundary September 29, 1789. 

This survey did not include the small triangle at Lake Erie, 
which belonged to New York and Massachusetts, and had been 
claimed by Connecticut and Virginia. New York ceded it to the 
United States in 1781, and Massachusetts in 1785. June 6, 1788, 
Congress resolved upon the sale of the tract to Pennsylvania; 
October 2, 1788, £1,200 were voted to the Indians to purchase their 
rights as a preliminary to the sale to Pennsylvania, and these were 
ceded by the Indians at the Treaty of Fort Harmar, January 9, 
1789. April 13, 1 791, the Governor of Pennsylvania was authorized 
to make the purchase, and March 3, 1792, announced to the Leg^sla- 




> 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 129 

ture that it had been made in Continental certificates of various de- 
scriptions. The price paid was $151,640.25. The area comprised 
202,187 acres. The Pennsylvania Population Company was formed 
March 8, 1793, to enlarge and encourage settlements on the newly 
acquired lands. 

The laws of New York State require a triennial examination 
of the monuments between the States of Pennsylvania and New 
York, to be made under the direction of the State Engineer and 
Surveyor. The Pennsylvania law directs the co-operation of the 
Secretary of Internal Affairs with officers of other States in this 
work. A State law of Pennsylvania requires the boards of county 
commissioners of the counties adjoining the boundary lines of the 
State to examine the monuments every five years and report to the 
Secretary of Internal Affairs. 

41. Delaware Boundary. — The circular boundary between 
Pennsylvania and Delaware was first measured by Isaac Taylor and 
Thomas Pierson in 1701, in determining the boundary between the 
counties of Chester and New Castle, Its location was further de- 
termined by surveys for patents which were closed upon the circle 
soon after it was run, mostly executed between 1701 and 1718; 
some of these were made by Isaac Taylor. A re-survey was made 
by Lieut.-Col. I. D. Graham in 1849 ^"*^ 1850. A joint commission 
representing the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware 
adopted a report February 27, 1859, fixing the point of junction of 
these States. 

The present line is a compromise curve, struck by direction of 
a joint commission composed of commissioners from Pennsylvania 
and Delaware, the former being appointed by act of May 4, 1889. 
The curve is drawn from the spire of the court house at New Castle, 
Delaware, with a radius of 12 miles. The compound curve was 
adopted, as it was found a true arc struck from this centre would 
not pass through the old points, and would deprive Delaware of con- 
siderable land long considered as belonging to that State. The 
monuments marking out the line were completely in place April 
26, 1893. The report of the commission was accepted by the Penn- 
sylvania Legislature in 1897, but the boundary has not yet been 
finally determined by Act of Congress. 

A compromise survey to determine the jurisdicticn of Pennsyl- 
vania and Maryland was made in 1739. 



I30 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



42. Eastern Boundary. — The eastern boundary of Pennsyl- 
vania is determined by the Delaware River, and was at no time open 
to dispute. It was confirmed as the boundary between Pennsylvania 
and New Jersey by an act of September 20, 1783. This act also rati- 
fied an agreement made by George Bryan, George Gray, and William 
Bingham for Pennsylvania, and Abraham Clark, Joseph Cooper, and 
Thomas Henderson for New Jersey, commissioners for the two 
States, to settle the jurisdiction of the islands in the Delaware. They 
were assigned according to their proximity ; Windmill, League, Mud 
or Foot, Hog, and Little Tinicum islands were assigned to Pennsyl- 
vania; and Petty's and Red Bank islands were attached to New 
Jersey. It was also agreed that the Delaware River should be a 
public highway, with concurrent jurisdiction between the shores by 
the two States. In 1786 the islands were distributed among the 
counties bordering on the river. 



^ SOCIETY 




® FOUNDED 1898© 



SEAL OF THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 131 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The Governors of Pennsylvania. 

43. The Governors of Pennsylvania. 

Government in Pennsylvania falls naturally into four great di- 
visions (i) The Colonial period, covering the time from the dis- 
covery of the Delaware to the grant of Pennsylvania to Penn; (2) 
the Provincial period, which extended from Penn's grant in 1681 to 
the Revolution in 1776; (3) the Revolutionary period, which ended 
with the adoption of the State Constitution of 1790; and (4) the 
Commonwealth, which began at the last-named date. 

A. Colonial Period, I614=-168!. 

The history of the government of Pennsylvania practically be- 
gins, as did the Province itself, with William Penn. The Dutch 
(1614-1654), the Swedes (1638-1655), the Dutch again (1655- 
1664), the English (1664-1673, 1674-1681), and once more the 
Dutch (1673-1674), had sought to establish themselves upon the 
river, but without effecting permanent settlements. The early gov- 
ernors were limited in jurisdiction to their immediate settlements, 
or were Dutch or English governors of New Amsterdam or New 
York. These early colonies lasted too short a time to attain per- 
manent growth or to permanently affect the later settlers of Pennsyl- 
vania. The governors were not governors of Pennsylvania, but of 
colonies on soil that afterwards became Pennsylvania. 

GOVERNORS AND DIRECTORS OF NEW NETHERLAND 
AND OF THE DUTCH ON THE DELAWARE, 1614-1654. 

Cornells Tacobsen Mev / -ir- -n- <. r^ . .r^-. 

» , • T • ^- " t i Vice-Directors 1614-1623 

Adrian Jonsz Tienpont ) to 

William Van Hulst, Vice-Director 1623-1624 

Peter Minuit, Director-General 1624-1632 

Giles Osset, Commissary, killed by the Indians 1630-1632 

Wouter Van Twiller, Director-General 1633-1638 

Arent Corssen, Vice-Director 1633-1635 

Jan Jansen Van Ilpendam, Commissary 1635-1638 

Sir William Kieft, Director-General 1638-1647 

Jan Jansen Van Ilpendam, Vice-Director 1638-1645 

Andreas Hudde, Vice-Director 1645-164S 

Alexander Beyer, Acting Commissary 1648-1649 

Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General 1647-1654 

Gerrit Bricker, Commissary 1649-1654 



132 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

GOVERNORS OF THE SWEDES ON THE DELAWARE, 
1638-1655. 

Peter Minuit, Governor 1638-1640 

Jost de Bogardt, Acting Governor, January to October. .. . 1640 

Peter Hollandare, Governor 1640-1643 

Johan Printz [Edler von Buchen], Governor 1643-1653 

Hendrick Huygen, Commissary 1646 

John Pappegoya, Acting Governor 1653-1654 

Jehan Claudius Rysingh, Governor 1654-1655 

DIRECTORS OF THE ENGLISH OR NEW HAVEN COLONY 
ON SOUTH (DELAWARE) RIVER. 

Thomas Lamberton 1641-1653 

DOMINION OF THE DUTCH, 1655-1657. 

Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of Nevir Netherland and 

Director-General of the settlements on the Delaware 1655-1664 

John Paul Jacquet, Vice-Director 1655-1656 

Andreas Hudde, Commissary 1655-1659 

Captain Deryck Smidt, Commissary- 1655 

Cornelis Van Ruyven, Commissary 1659 

THE COLONY OF THE CITY, 1656-1663. 

Jacob Alricks 1656-1659 

Alexander D'Hinoyossa 1659-1663 

THE COLONY OF THE COMPANY, 1657-1663. 

Gerrit [Goeran] Van Dyck, Schout-fiscal 1657-1658 

William Beekman, Vice-Governor 1658-1663 

THE COLONY UNITED, 1663-1664. 

Alexander DTIinoyossa, Vice-Director 1663-1664 

DOMINION OF THE DUKE OF YORK, 1664-1673. 

Colonel Richard Nicolls, Governor 1664-1667 

Sir Robert Carr, Deputy Governor 1664-1667 

Colonel Francis Lovelace, Governor 1667-1673 

Captain John Carr, Deputy Governor 1668-1673 

DOMINION OF THE DUTCH, 1673-1674. 

Anthony Colve, Governor-General of the Netherlands.... 1673-1674 
Peter Alricks, Deputy Governor of the Colonies on the 

west side of the Delaware 1673-1674 

DOMINION OF THE ENGLISH, 1674-1681. 

Sir Edmund Andros 1674-1681 

Captain Matthias Nicolls, Deputy Governor 1674-1675 

Captain Edmund Cantwell, Deputy Governor 1675-1676 

Captain John Collier, Deputy Governor 1676-1677 

Captain Christopher Billop, Deputy Governor 1677-1680 

Captain Anthony Brockholls, Governor, January to June. . 1681 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 133 

B. Provincial Period, 1681=1776. 

William Penn's difficiilites with his governors, deputies and rep- 
resentatives in Pennsylvania form one of the most unpleasant chap- 
ters of the history of the Province. He was a good judge of prin- 
ciples and an interpretative reader of history, but he failed in his 
judgment of men. His governmental difficulties were complicated 
by the fact that the people whom he had induced to settle in his 
Province were not so thoroughly alive to his interest in their welfare 
as he had hoped they would be. Himself an idealist, Penn looked 
for an appreciation of idealism in others, and this he quite failed to 
receive from his people in Pennsylvania. 

Proprietary instructions to the deputy governors were con- 
cerned with two classes of acts : administrative and legislative. The 
former comprised appointing officers, executing the laws of the 
Province and carrying out the policy of the Crown and the proprie- 
tors in reference to it ; the latter was concerned with the prevention 
of undesirable legislation. When absent from the Province Penn's 
administrative instructions were issued 
to and through the Deputy Governor, 
who was bound by his commission to 
obey his superior. After 1708 the 
deupty governors were required to give a bond for their obedience. 
The proprietary's administrative powers were rarely questioned, but 
serious controversies arose in connection with legislative affairs. 
While the proprietary had an unquestioned right to express assent 
or dissent to any law passed by the Assembly, the fact that the Royal 
Charter required the submission of all laws to the King in Council 
for approval, together with the provision that if not disapproved 
within six months they would stand, deprived the proprietary veto 
of much of its value. Penn surrendered the practise of reserving 
the final assent in 1704. 

Legislative difficulties began after the death of Penn, when an 
attempt was made to thwart the Assembly in its plans for complete 
control of the Province ; the proprietors, in order to protect their 
personal interests, then issued definite instructions to their deputies 
on legislative matters. Aluch friction ensued because the Assembly 
was unwilling to pass laws which might be directly in violation of 
instructions, and therefore be worthless pieces of legislation. 



am^f± 



134 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

WILLIAM PENN, PROPRIETARY, 1681-1693. 

William Markham, Deputy Governor April 20, 1681 — Oct. 24, 1682 
William Penn, Proprietary and 

Governor Oct. 27, 1682— Sept. 18,1684 

The Council (Thomas Lloyd, 

President) Sept. 18, 1684— Feb. 9,1688 

Thomas Lloyd ] 

Robert Turner Five commissioners ] 

Arthur Cooke ^ appointed by }■ Feb. 9, 1688— Dec. 18, 1688 

John Simcock William Penn J 

John Eckley J 

Capt. John Blackwell, Deputy 

Governor Dec. 18, 1688— Jan, 2, 1690 

The Council (Thomas Lloyd, 

President) Jan. 2,1690 — March — ,1691 

Thomas Lloyd, Deputy Governor of 

Axrn?''°\T'^^i'i, T^ . n > March — 1691— April 26,1693 

William Markham, Deputy Governor ' ^ ^ > vo 

of Lower Counties } 

THE CROWN OF ENGLAND, 1693-1694. 

Benjamin Fletcher, Governor of 

New York, Governor April 26, 1693 — March 26, 1695 

William Markham, Lieutenant- 
Governor April 26, 1693 — March 26, 1695 

WILLIAM PENN, PROPRIETARY, NOV. 24, 1694— JULY 30, 1718. 

William Markham, Governor March 26, 1695 — Sept. 3, 1698 

Dr. John Goodson { Deputies to 

Samuel Carpenter \ Gov. Markham Nov. 24, 1694 — Sept. 3,1698 

William Markham, Lieutenant 

Governor Sept. 3, 1698— Dec. 21, 1699 

William Penn, Proprietary and 

Governor Dec. 21, 1699 — Oct. 27, 1701 

Andrew Hamilton, Deputy Governor Oct. 27, 1701 — April 20, 1703 
The Council (Edward Shippen, 

President) April 20, 1703— Feb. 3,1704 

John Evans, Deputy Governor Feb. 3, 1704 — Feb. 1,1709 

Charles Gookin, Deputy Governor. .. Feb. i, 1709— May 31.1717 

Sir William Keith, Deputy Governor May 31, 1717— July 30, 1718 

JOHN PENN, RICHARD PENN AND TPIOMAS PENN, 
PROPRIETARIES, 1718-1746. 

Sir William Keith, Deputy Governor July 30, 1718— June 22, 1726 

Patrick Gordon, Deputy Governor. . June 22, 1726 — Aug. 4, 1736 
The Council (James Logan, 

President) Aug. 4, 1736— June 1,1738 

George Thomas, Deputy Governor. . June i, 1738 — May — , 1746 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 135 

RICHARD PENN AND THOMAS PENN, PROPRIETARIES, 

1746-1771. 

George Thomas, Deputy Governor. . May — , 1746 — May 29, 1747 
The Council (Anthony Palmer, 

President) May 29, 1746— Nov. 23,1748 

James Hamilton, Deputy Governor. . Nov. 23, 1748 — Oct. 3, 1754 
Robert Hunter Morris, Deputy 

Governor Oct. 3, 1754— Aug. 25,1756 

William Denny, Deputy Governor. . , Aug. 25,1756 — Nov. 17, 1759 

James Hamilton, Deputy Governor Nov. 17, 1759 — Oct. 31, 1763 
John Penn (son of Richard Penn), 

Deputy Governor Oct. 31, 1763— May 4,1771 

THOMAS PENN AND JOHN PENN (SON OF RICHARD), 
PROPRIETARIES, 1771-1776. 

The Council (James Hamilton, 

President) May 4, 1771— Oct. 16, 1771 

Richard Penn (brother of John 

Penn), Lieutenant Governor Oct. 16,1771 — July 19,1773 

The Council (James Hamilton, 

President) July 19,1773— Aug. 30, 1773 

John Penn, Governor Aug. 30, 1773— Sept. 28,1776 

[August 30, 1773, John Penn, who was confirmed Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor by the King June 30, was awarded the title of Governor by 
the Provincial Council.] 

Perm's original intention was to spend most of his time in the 
Province himself as Governor, but his venture required so much at- 
tention in England that he was only able to act personally as such 
during two brief periods of two years each, from October 27, 1682, 
to September 18, 1684, and from December 21, 1699, to October 27, 
1 701. His first Deputy Governor was his 
cousin, William Markham, who served in that 4?/l^ /0>^ // 
capacity several times, both under Penn and //•• \J^iCOJ^^:A^/7i^ 
Governor Fletcher, of New York, when the 

latter represented the Crown during the sequestration of the Prov- 
ince. 

On Penn's departure for London in 1684 he delegated his 
powers as Governor to the Provincial Council, of which Thomas 
Lloyd, a Welsh Quaker, and the only Quaker ^^^-— ■— . 

Deputy Governor of the Province, was ^^^^^^ jj 1 
president. The Assembly, deprived of the * J Jzo : I LC(j<^ 

power of originating legislation, now began 

its contest with the executive, which continued until it had obtained 
all it desired. This result, however, was not achieved without an- 
noyance to the proprietary and at times seemed to be affecting the 
Province injuriously. (See §24.) 




136 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Governing through a Council of eighteen soon proved cumber- 
some, and Penn named five commissioners as the executive. These 
/I y /7 j^"^ X were Thomas Lloyd, Nicholas More, James 
(2/rvirniz^ / Ij e^ Claypole, Robert Turner and John Eckley; 
lO^/^^^yiQxt and Claypole not acting, Arthur Cooke 
v>-/ and John Simcock were substituted in their 

places. Three were authorized to act as the executive. These 
commissioners held office from February 9 to December 18, 1688. 

Apparently the five were no more success- 
ful than the eighteen, and in December 
Penn appointed Captain John Blackwell as 
Deputy Governor. Blackwell was a soldier, 
a son-in-law of General Lambert, and found his efforts to rule a 
Quaker community so uncomfortable that he begged Penn to relieve 
him, and surrendered his commission January 
/Z. "^Cy^/^ ^' 1690. Penn then offered to name a Gov- 
// ^^^iL-^ ernor from a list of three to be suggested by 

the Council, or to designate the Council as the 
executive body. The Council chose the latter method, and was once 
more given executive power, with Thomas Lloyd as President. In 
March, 1691, Lloyd was named Deputy Governor, with Markham 

as Deputy Governor of the Lower Coun- 
ties, an arrangement that lasted until 
April 28, 1693. 

In 1694, when Penn received his Prov- 
ince, Markham was made Lieutenant Governor, with two deputies or 
assistants, Samuel Carpenter and John Goodson, by the advice of 

one or both of whom he was required to 
r^ ^ act. September 3, 1688, with the adop- 
'^^^,^S^^/'0:^^C>2r' tion of the constitution known as "Mark- 
ham's Frame" (§18), he became sole 
Lieutenant Governor, and continued as such until December 31, 
1699, when Penn returned to the Province. 

On leaving the Province in 1701 Penn named Andrew Hamilton, 

a former proprietor of East Jersey, and afterwards Governor of East 

and West Jersey, as Deputy Governor, with 

/f\ /p -dj- . James Logan as Provincial Secretary and 

^<,o;C:^^ Clerk of the Council. During Hamilton's 

administration the Lower Counties chose 
a separate Legislature for themselves, an arrangement that continued 





PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 137 

until the Revolution. At this time, also, the church party, which had 
been developed in the Province, began to interest itself in a bill be- 
fore Parliament to turn all the proprietary colonies into royal ones, 
which would have made an end to Quaker rule in Pennsylvania. 
Penn, however, stopped the bill before it was 
passed, and resumed his earlier life in 
London as a conspicuous figure at court. 
Hamilton originated the postal system of the 

colonies, and was the first Pennsylvania Governor to organize a 
military force. 

Hamilton died in office, and nearly a year intervened while 
the executive business of the Province was administered by the 
Council, of which Edward Shippen was 
president. John Evans was then named ^^s -^ /^ 
Deputy-Governor. He was an officer of ^Koiiw: J/Uppd7P^ 
the Queen's Household, much too young, 

if the accounts are to be credited, for his high office. His adminis- 
tration was highly unsatisfactory to the Assembly and the people, 
and was marked by several controversies that greatly injured the 
proprietary. Especially unfortunate was an efifort he made to create 
a military feeling in the Province by giving 
a false alarm of the approach of French 
ships, an incident that covered him with 
ridicule and completely failed of its pur- ' -? 3 

pose. He was embroiled in a number of escapades which greatly 
lessened his personal influence and he was recalled by Penn because 
of general dissatisfaction. 

Col. Charles Gookin, who succeeded Evans, was an older and 
much more experienced man. The first years of his administration 
were the most restful and satisfactory of Penn's ^^ -^ 

proprietary ship. The Assembly assumed part I ■^// ' fyfiffhyi) 
of the expenses of the government, and the \r\ y ' f^O-y^ 
Province began to be a source of revenue. His / 

later years, however, were marked by much violent conflict with the 
Assembly and by personal eccentricity and extravagance. An act 
of Parliament had extended to the colonies an earlier act requiring 
oaths, and was intended to prevent the Quakers from holding office, 
sitting on juries, or giving evidence in criminal cases. Gookin 
maintained that it repealed the Provincial Law permitting affirma- 




138 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

tions, and thus aroused the whole Quaker element against him. He 
was recalled by Mrs. Penn, who was acting for her husband owing 
to his mental disability. 

The change in the proprietaryship which followed the death of 
William Penn did not immediately affect the government of Penn- 
sylvania. The Province still lived under its Charter of 1701, which 
was the organic law. New conditions arose with the increase of 
population, with the influx of different nationalities and peoples of 
varying religious faiths ; new problems came into being with the 
spread of the colonists westward and the constant pushing back of 
the frontier ; the proprietaries' own point of view changed from time 
to time, but chiefly because new conditions necessitated such changes. 
But throughout the proprietary period, the change in the pro- 
prietaries was accomplished without disturbing conditions in Penn- 
sylvania. The most notable difference between the rule of the 
younger Penns and that of the Founder was that William Penn was 
distinctly paternal in his views of government ; his sons and grand- 
sons were not. 

William Penn died shortly after Sir William Keith had been 
appointed Governor by Mrs. Penn. Keith was a Scotch baronet and 

the only titled Governor of Pennsylvania, 
familiar with Pro- 
vincial affairs and was acceptable to all 
parties. The adjustment of Penn's estate 
and the settlement of his affairs did not disturb his tenure of 
office. He was one of the most successful of the Proprietary Gov- 
ernors. Although he soon manifested a tendency to ignore the 
Council, and at one time seemed on the point of abolishing it, he 
maintained his popularity with the Assembly by granting its re- 
quests. Under his administration paper money was first issued by 
the Province (§59), whose material prosperity had greatly increased, 
and Mrs. Penn was enabled to pay off her husband's debts and mort- 
gages. Keith obtained from the Assembly an act permitting the 
formation of a Provincial militia, and an allowance for his own 
salary. A dispute with Logan ended in his recall, but he was 
awarded the only vote of thanks given a Colonial Governor in Penn- 
sylvania by the Assembly. 

Patrick Gordon, who succeeded Keith, was 82 years of age when 
he assumed office, and described himself as a "plain, blunt soldier." 



^ yy J the only titled Goveri 

/^j//^^2^^^ He was thoroughly 

/V ^c^i-~^___f ^^ ^ vincial affairs and ^^ 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 139 

He was the most successful of the Colonial Governors and retained 
the good will of all parties. He "ZZ^^^ X7 '^~^ 

wisely made the proprietary and /^ J^^ ^..^^ /77u ^^^^7^ 
colonial interests identical, and for ^<^~^^ /v ^ 

the first time in its history Pennsyl- ^ 

vania enjoyed a peaceful rule without legislative conflicts. He died 
in office, and on his death the Council, with James Logan as Presi- 
dent, conducted the administration of the Province. Never Governor 
by appointment, Logan practically held that office from 1736 to 1738. 
He had been Secretary of the Council /-\ 

and Chief Justice, and had long main- h^,^,^,,^^ (^^<H<XM^ 
tained intimate relations. with the Penns. / Z 

He was the most learned and probably ^ * 

the most accomplished of the Provincial Governors. 

George Thomas, the next Deputy Governor, was a brilliant rep- 
resentative of the proprietary. He was a native of Antigua, a son 
of a West Indian planter, and at the time of his appointment a mem- 
ber of the Council of his native isle. His administration was notable 
because, for the first time, the military question, long dormant, but 
never wholly ignored, became acute, owing 
to the war with Spain. Thomas's sym- >^-^ ^^r^^ — ^ 
pathies were with the King of England, Y^^- (J/t^/^^^^a/' 
rather than with either the proprietaries or -^ 

the people. At first, placing himself in conflict with the Assembly, 
he was the first Deputy Governor to learn the lesson of successful 
administration in Pennsylvania, which was to give heed to its wishes. 
Applying to the Assembly for men for the war he was informed that 
no aid could be given, but that he might raise men for military pur- 
poses without its assistance. Disinclined to act on this hint, he after- 
wards did so, and raised 700 men. Later, Benjamin Franklin ren- 
dered his first conspicuous public service by forming an associa- 
tion for defense, called the Associators, by which 10,000 volunteers 
were enrolled and which took a conspicuous part in the later mili- 
tary history of the Province. When the Assembly was asked to con- 
tribute to the expedition against Louisburg it voted £4,000 for the 
purchase of "bread, beef, pork, flour, wheat or other grain," and the 
two last words were taken by Governor Thomas to mean gunpowder, 
which he purchased without being called to account. Already the 
primitive Quaker character had lost some of its austerity, and the 
Province was about to enter on a period in which war and military 



140 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

matters were to be very prominent. Governor Thomas resigned his 
office because of ill-health. 

Trouble with the Indians, which had commenced under Gov- 
ernor Thomas's administration, now became a permanent element in 

Pennsylvania affairs. Wars, mas- 
sacres, atrocities and efforts to estab- 




^^—^ ^ "^ lish peace distinguished the rule of all 

C2->*^-^ subsequent Governors. An ad interim 

administration of the Council followed, with Anthony Palmer as 
President. He had acquired large wealth in the West Indies, and 
supported the dignity of his office with much splendor. The Span- 
ish privateers became so aggressive as to enter the Delaware, but 
the Assembly, content in the safety of the Province and its chief city, 
remained inactive in matters of defense until the Indian wars reached 
such a stage that military precautions could no longer be neglected. 

Then came James Hamilton, the first native American to hold 
the office of Deputy Governor, a son of a former Speaker of the Pro- 
vincial Assembly. The Assembly, 
apparently always ready to oppose 
^U/.riTSI^ the Governor, now found a fresh 
cause for difference in protesting 
against the secret instructions with 
which the younger Penns accompanied their commissions for 
deputies. 

Hamilton was succeeded by Robert Hunter Morris, a son of 
Lewis Morris, Chief Justice of New York and New Jersey, and at 
one time Governor of the latter. He took office when the relations 

between the executive and legislative de- 
partments were strained almost to the 
breaking point. Differences with the As- 
sembly over the issue of a paper currency 
had been acute during Hamilton's administration, and were con- 
tinued under Morris, who was hampered on the one hand by the 
proprietary instructions and on the other by the refusal of the As- 
sembly to provide funds. He was regarded as one of the most 
obnoxious of the proprietary Governors. Braddock's campaign oc- 
curred during his administration. 

He was followed by William Denny, who met with renewed dis- 
sensions with the Assembly on currency and the taxation of the 




PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 141 

proprietary estates. The Governor's personal straits became so pro- 
nounced that he finally gave his approval to 
a bill taxing them. The proprietors opposed /y/^. ^^ 

this measure before the Privy Council, /^^^^*-*^ <^^^^ 
which gave Franklin an opportunity to 

argue for it, — a circumstance that led to the imposition of the tax. 
Denny was immediately recalled by the Penns, and James Hamilton 
was re-appointed Governor. 

Although a Philadelphian by birth, Hamilton was a warm ad- 
herent of the proprietaries. He was the last of the Provincial Gov- 
ernors who was not a member of the Penn family. He filled the 
executive office for a third time for seven months in 1771, when 
affairs were directed by the Council. 

His administration included the Indian War with Pontiac. 
Some public buildings were erected in his time, including a light- 
house at Cape Henlopen. 

Between Hamilton's second and third term came the first admin- 
istration of John Penn. He was the eldest son of Richard Penn, a 
son of William Penn. Much more severe in his dealings with the 
Indians than his grandfather, John Penn conducted his ofiice with 
good judgment and tact. It was during his administration that the 




last of the great Provincial problems began to develop, namely, the 
relations of America with the mother country. Scarcely had he 
taken office than he was called upon to settle the riots and disturb- 
ances known as the "Paxton riots," which followed the massacre of 
the Conestogoe Indians, an event that created much excitement in the 
Province, and which was followed by the expulsion of the survivors 
from Pennsylvania. Public affairs with England now began to de- 
velop towards separation from the mother country, although revo- 
lution was as yet unthought of. November i, 1765, the stamp act 
went into effect, the vessel bringing the obnoxious documents be- 
ing received with public mourning in Philadelphia. It was repealed 
March 18, 1766. John Dickinson began to publish his "Farmer's 



oJi^^^- /^^^^^e^ il 



142 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Letters" December 2, 1767, and the non-importation policy was 
adopted. In 1771 Governor Penn succeeded to his father's pro- 
prietaryship, and left America May 4. 

He was followed by his younger brother, Richard Penn, who 
filled the Lieutenant-Governor's chair for two years, John Penn 

then resumed office in the Province, and 
* ^^^ personally witnessed the end of his fam- 

ily's rule in Pennsylvania. He lived at 
his country seat of "Lansdowne," now in 
Fairmount Park, throughout the Revolution, and died there in 1795, 
at the age of 67. His name was omitted from the official documents 
in May, 1776. 

For Change from Proprietary to State Government see §46. 

C. Governors During the Revolution, 1776=1790. 

THE COMMITTEE OF SAFETY, 1776-1777. 

Benjamin Franklin, Chairman Sept. — , 1776 — March — , 1777 

PRESIDENTS OF THE SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, 

I 777- I 790. 

Thomas Wharton, Jr March 5, 1777— May 23, 1778 

George Brj'an, Vice President (act- 
ing President vice Wharton de- 
ceased May 23,1778 — Dec. 1,1778 

Joseph Reed Dec. i, 1778— Oct. 8, 1781 ] 

WilHani Moore Nov. 14, 17S4— Oct. 8,1782 

John Dickinson Nov. 7, 1782— Oct. 18,1785 

Benjamin Frankhn Oct. 18, 1785— Oct. 14,1788 

Thomas Mifflin Nov. 5, 1788— Dec. 20,1790 

Political parties, no longer centred in questions of proprietary 
control, divided themselves on revolutionary questions. The new con- 
stitution gave the balance of power to the radical element, called the 
Constitutionalists; the opposition, called the Anti-Constitutionalists 
or Republicans, was made up of various elements, some of which 
were friendly to the Revolution, but were actively opposed to the 
radicalism of the Constitutionalists. 

Pennsylvania was in a thoroughly disorganized condition. Many 
citizens, especially in Philadelphia, were unwilling to take part in the 
Revolution, and their passive inaction had an effect upon the people 
as a whole. There were no regular courts for more than a year ; an 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 143 

oath of allegiance was insisted on, which was declined by a large 
part of the population, and much of the better element withdrew from 




the conduct of public affairs ; new methods of electing members of 
Assembly had been introduced ; money was needed for the war and 
for State purposes ; speculation was rampant ; the soldiers were dis- 
satisfied with the delays in their payments and with the worthless 
money with which they were finally paid ; business was crippled and 
almost at a standstill. These conditions prevailed not only during 
Wharton's Presidency, but throughout most of the time when the 
President of the Supreme Executive Council was the chief officer of 
the State. Wharton had been President of the Council of Safety, 
and died a short time after being chosen President of the Supreme 
Executive Council. 

George Bryan, the Vice-President, then became Acting Presi- 
dent. He had served in the Provincial Assembly and Continental 
Congress, and brought large experi- ^ 

ence and enthusiastic patriotism to his y ^V 

office. He was a zealous advocate for /jA/y-' ' ^^''^TZ/C^l^^.^ 
the abolition of negro slavery, and in yf^ ^y/ 

1780 secured the enactment of a bill ^ 

providing for the freedom of all children who might thereafter be 
born in Pennsylvania of slave parents. At the time of his death, in 
1791, he was a Justice of the Supreme Court. 

Joseph Reed, the second President of the Supreme Council, was 
one of the most conspicuous figures in the early history of the Com- 
monwealth of Pennsylvania. He was of Scotch-Irish parentage and 
a graduate of Princeton. He had filled many public offices and 
brought great ability and energy to his executive work. He abolished 
slavery, helped in the establishment of the University of Pennsyl- 
vania, secured the loyalty of the Provincial troops to the Continental 
Army, and after his retirement from office conducted Pennsylvania's 
claim for the Wyoming region against Connecticut (§38), and pre- 
served a large territory to his own State. 



144 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Reed's position, as was Wharton's, was a trying one, and his 
period of office-holding was difficult and stormy. Recognizing 

Benedict Arnold's unfitness for 

_/" the military governorship of Phil- 

yf//f ^J/ /7 /^ /!r adelphia, he secured his removal 

//f/ rV^'^^^^^^^V^ ^"^ ^^^ active in reorganizing 
f the militia. The financial condi- 
tion was so bad that an attempt was made to regulate prices by 
law, and as an aditional help the State established salt works at Tom's 
River ; food beciame scarce, and remedies were sought by law ; the 
financial condition became so complicated and disastrous that re- 
pudiation was talked of, and the legal tender laws were suspended 
in June, 1780; taxes came in slowly, and the depreciation of the 
paper currency was more marked than ever. Fortunately, the 
financial condition suddenly improved, when, in 1781, the Supreme 
Executive Council adopted a resolution that the paper currency 
should be received in public payments at a ratio of 175 to i. Gold 
and silver immediately appeared, and President Reed described the 
situation in declaring that history afforded "no instance of such a 
transition." The payment of taxes and the money due the soldiers 
continued pressing questions, and much friction was occasioned by 
the fact that, while elections were held annually, the franchise was 
denied to those who had not taken the oath of allegiance to the State. 

William Moore, who had been Vice-President with Reed, suc- 
ceeded him as President. He held the latter office for less than a 
year, being compelled to retire from the Council by constitutional 
limitation of service. He was a brother-in-law of President Wharton 
and a son-in-law of Thomas Lloyd. He had been a member of the 
Council of Safety and the Board of War, and after retiring from the 
Presidency became a Judge of the High Court of Errors and Appeals 
and a member of the General Assembly. Taxes and payments to the 
army continued to be burning questions during his administration. 
The Supreme Executive Council now returned to the tactics that had 
prevailed in the Assembly under proprietary rule, and complained 

that the Assembly tended to dimin- 
'^^^A/KH /^ . ish its authority. An important 

u^F ^ r-yY/^&^PJ^ administrative officer was appointed 

' * under Moore in the creation of the 

office of Comptroller-General, whose function it was to settle the 
public accounts. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 145 

Few names are more notable in Revolutionary history than that 
of John Dickinson, who followed Moore in the Presidency. He became 
a member of the General Assembly in 1764; he was a member of the 
first Colonial Congress and was an active participant in the move- 
ment for independence. The public opinion of the day was largely 
influenced by his celebrated "Letters from 
a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabi- 
tants of the British Colonies," which had 
made their author the most important pub- 
lic man in America until the Declaration of Independence. Yet he 
favored reconciliation with England rather than separation, and 
absented himself from the Continental Congress at the adoption of 
the Declaration of Independence. This led to his retirement from 
that body, but he almost immediately entered the Continental Army 
as a private and retired from service as Brigadier-General. For 
two years he was President of the State of Delaware, and was then 
elected President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. 
He represented Delaware in the National Constitutional Convention 
of 1789 and took an active and leading part in framing the Constitu- 
tion of the United States. His writings are among the most impor- 
tant of their period. 

As was the case with the preceding Presidents, his tenure of 
office was characterized by much personal bitterness and dispute. 
In 1785 the election laws were modified by restricting the voting to 
the precinct or township in which the electors lived, although here- 
tofore persons living in one county could vote in another. The test 
laws were modified in 1787. 

Benjamin Franklin, the most conspicuous figure in the Revolu- 
tionary history of Pennsylvania and one of the greatest in the early 
history of the United States, succeeded Dickinson as President of 
the Council. His administration crowned a career of many years of 
public usefulness for Pennsylvania and for his country. Owing to 
his age and infirmities many of his duties fell to the Vice-Presidents, 
Charles Biddle and Peter Muhlenberg; David Redick succeeded 
Muhlenberg on his resignation as Vice-President, and held ofiice for 
little less than a month. The most important event in Franklin's 
administration was the ratification of the Federal Constitution, De- 
cember 12, 1787. Steps were taken to ascertain the amount of the 
State debt and to arrange for the payment of the sums due the Penns 
and the United States, and provision was made for a larger revenue. 



146 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

The severity of the criminal law was lessened and milder forms in- 
troduced. 




Thomas Mifflin was the last of the Presidents of the Supreme 
Executive Council and the first of the Governors, being elected to 
succeed himself on the adoption of the second State Constitution in 
1790. He held executive office continuously from November, 1788, 
to December, 1799, and conducted the longest administration in 




a. 






the history of Pennsylvania. He was a Quaker who had entered 
military service, and served as Major, first Aide-de-Camp to Wash- 
ington, Quartermaster-General, Brigadier-General, and again as 
Quartermaster-General. He was chosen a member of Congress in 
1783, and as President of that body received Washington's resigna- 
tion from the command of the army. He was a member of the Na- 
tional Constitutional Convention in 1787, and signed the Constitu- 
tion as adopted. He became a member of the Supreme Executive 
Council of Pennsylvania in 1788, and was President of the State Con- 
stitutional Convention of 1790. At the conclusion of his term as 
Governor, for which he was elected three times for periods of three 
years each, he was chosen a member of the General Assembly, but 
survived his election only a few weeks. 

D. Governors of the Commonwealth, from 1790 
Under the Constitution of 1790. 

Thomas MifBin Dec. 21, 1790— Dec. 17, 1799 

Thomas McKean Dec. 17, 1799 — Dec. 20, 1808 

Simon Snyder Dec. 20, 1808 — Dec. 16, 1817 

William Findlay Dec. 16, 1817— Dec. 19, 1820 

Joseph Hiester Dec. 19, 1820 — Dec. 16, 1823 

John Andrew Schulze Dec. 16, 1823— Dec. 15, 1829 

George Wolf Dec. 15, 1829— Dec. 15, 1835 

Joseph Ritner Dec. 15, 1835— Jan. 15, 1839 

The adoption of the National Constitution required the election 
of members of Congress and of electors of the President and Vice- 
President of the United States. A new State constitution was urged 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 147 

by the Federalists, the party supporting the National Constitution, 
and composed of the former Anti-Constitutionalists ; the Anti-Fed- 
eralists were the previous Constitutionalists. The Pennsylvania 
constitution of 1790 was framed, and after its adoption the Anti- 
Federalists were known as the Democratic-Republicans, or by either 
title separately. Parties changed so rapidly that Mifflin, nominated 
as a Republican, came in as a Democrat. 

Thomas Mifflin (b.i744-d.i8oo) was the last President of the 
Supreme Executive Council and the first Governor of the State 
chosen under the constitution of 1790; he served three terms (nine 
years). Many important public improvements were projected and 
begun in his administrations. Much popular excitement was mani- 
fested in 1793 for the French Revolution, and in the same year Phila- 
delphia was visited by a severe epidemic of yellow fever. Indian 
troubles in the western part of the State led to the adoption of an act 
for raising soldiers for the defense of the Delaware River and the 
western frontier, and at the same time troops were solicited from the 
National authorities to aid the commission appointed to lay out 
towns and provide for the development of the northwest. The Indian 
difficulties were settled in October, 1794, in a conference at Canan- 
daigua, N. Y., and the plans for the establishment of a town at 
Presqu' Isle (Erie) were carried out in April, 1795. Meanwhile the 
western part of the State was greatly disturbed by the insurrection 
known as the Whiskey Rebellion, which culminated in 1794. 

This insurrection originated among the Scotch-Irish in western 
Pennsylvania. The settlers beyond the western mountains, who 
were chiefly engaged in raising grain, found the transportation of 
their products across the mountains a heavy tax that prevented a 
profitable sale of their products. By making whiskey from the grain 
it was possible to reduce it to a form that could readily be carried, 
and hence this industry grew to large proportions, whiskey becoming, 
in fact, the circulating medium. 

It had been found impossible to enforce the Pennsylvania State 
excise law in this region, and a national law, passed March 3, 1791, 
was the occasion of the outbreak. Collectors were tarred and feathered 
soon after, and the difficulties increased until July 15, 1794, when 
blood was shed in open conflict with the authorities. Two weeks 
later an attempt was made to capture and plunder Pittsburg, and 
was only averted through the conciliary efforts of the townspeople. 
The matter now became so serious that the National Government 



148 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

sent a commission to pacify the rebels, and arranged for the raising 
of troops in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia to 
enforce its requirements. The difficulties were adjusted by the com- 
mission, and on the appearance of an army of 12,950 men all resist- 
ance disappeared and the insurrection came to an end. 

In 1794 General Anthony Wayne won a victory over the com- 
bined Indian forces that led to the treaty of Fort Granville and the 
cession by the Indians of the eastern part of Ohio to the United 
States, and removed all danger of hostile invasions into western 
Pennsylvania. Governor Mifflin had another local insurrection to 
settle in the Fries or Hot Water Rebellion of 1798. 

This name was given to a disturbance among the Germans of 
Bucks and Montgomery and parts of Lehigh, Berks and Northamp- 
ton counties, who objected to a national house tax law that required 
the measuring and registering of the panes of window glass in each 
house, passed during the administration of John Adams for the 
purpose of reducing the debt incurred in the Revolutionary War. 
Its name is derived from the hot water poured by a woman on an 
assessor who was engaged in measuring a house ; it is also sometimes 
called the House Tax Rebellion, or Fries's Rebellion, from John 
Fries, who took a leading part in it. The agitation lasted during 
1798 and 1799, and suppressed itself on the appearance of an armed 
force drawn from Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and 
Lancaster counties, sent by the Governor to settle it. Fries was 
twice tried for high treason, and was sentenced to death, but was 
pardoned by President Adams. 

Mifflin was succeeded by Thomas McKean (b.i734-d.i8i7), one 
of the most active and conspicuous figures in early Pennsylvania 
history. Born in Chester County, of Irish parentage, he was ad- 
mitted to practice before the Supreme Court at the age of twenty- 
two, and in the same year was chosen Clerk of the Assembly. In 
1762 he was elected to represent New Castle County in the Assembly, 
and did so for seventeen years, during which period the Lower 
Counties were developed into the State of Delaware. He was a 

member of the Colonial Con 
gress of 1765, of the Continental 
Congress of 1776, in which he 
was a member of the committee 
which drew up the Articles of 
Confederation ; he signed the Declaration of Independence, and was 



^^%^^^ 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 149 

a Colonel of the Associated Militia. Elected a member of the Dela- 
ware Constitutional Convention, he drew alone the State constitution 
which was unanimously adopted. From 1777, for twenty-two years 
he was Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. He was President of Delaware 
and represented that State in Congress. As Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania he excited general animosity by selecting his officials according 
to merit and without regard to their official affiliations. Articles of 
impeachment were brought against him but were never pushed to 
trial. He was a strong Democrat, and was the regular candidate of 
that party in 1799 and 1802; in 1805 he ran as an Independent 
Democrat, being the candidate of a new party called the "Tertium 
Quids" or "Quids," and was successful a third time in opposition to 
Simon Snyder, the candidate of the regular Democrats. The first 
law for the free education of the poor was adopted in 1802, pro- 
visions for such instruction, inserted in the constitutions of 1776 
and 1790 not having been previously acted upon. 

Party feeling had risen to a high pitch in Governor McKean's 
administrations. Simon Snyder was a man of little education but of 
wide popularity, and was brought forward again at the end of Mc- 
Kean's third term, and was chosen Governor for the next three terms 
following. He was a son of German immigrants and was without 
revolutionary military experience. He was a Justice of the Peace, a 
member of the Constitutional Convention of 1789, a member of the 
House of Representatives from 
1797 to 1808, and Speaker of the 
House for the last six years of his 
congressional life. He was the first 
Governor to substitute an annual 
written message to the Legislature 
for the annual address in person 
heretofore the custom. His administration covered the period of the 
War of .8112 While contributing more men and more money to 
this war than any other State, Pennsylvania escaped invasion, but 
the blockade of the Delaware was proclaimed in March, 1813, and 
cut off most of the foreign commerce of Philadelphia. The war 
expenses of Pennsylvania were $268,000, repaid by the National 
Government, and twice as much assumed by the State, which also 
offered to subscribe $1,000,000 to an issue of United States bonds. 
Both the Pennsylvania Senators and all her Representatives except 
two, who were not returned at the next election, voted for the war. 




I50 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

When Washington was captured by the British, Pennsylvania pre- 
pared for an invasion by throwing up defences west of the Schuylkill, 
repairing the Delaware forts and forming a camp at Kennett Square. 
The enemy withdrew to Maryland while the Pennsylvania Legis- 
lature was debating whether troops should be raised by conscription 
or by voluntary enlistment. 

Among the Pennsylvanians who achieved distinction in the war 
were Jacob Brown, afterwards Major-General and General-in-Chief 
of the United States Army; James Biddle, and Charles Stewart 
("Old Ironsides") ; Stephen Decatur spent much time in Philadel- 
phia, where his father lived. 

William Findlay (b.i768-d.i846) was Governor for one term, 
beginning in 1817. He was born at Mercersburg. His political 
career began with his appointment as Major and Brigade Inspector 
of Militia. In 1797 and again in 1803 and until 1807 he was a 
member of the Legislature; he resigned his membership to become 
Treasurer of the Commonwealth, an office he held for nearly eleven 
years. As Governor he proposed in 181 8 a nev/ and extensive system 
of internal improvements by utilizing the natural waterways of the 
State, and his administration witnessed the opening of the anthracite 
coal trade. He encountered much opposition from the Legislature, 
which appointed committees to investigate his official conduct at each 
adjournment during his term of office. The building of the State 
Capitol at Harrisburg was begun in his administration. He was 




subsequently United States Senator and afterwards Treasurer of 
the United States Mint at Philadelphia. He was elected Governor 
in a hotly contested campaign on the regular Democratic ticket and 
was opposed by Joseph Hiester, who was supported by a group of 
political parties, the Federalists ; moderate Democrats, also called 
Independent Republicans, Democrats of the Revolution and Old 
Schoolmen; and Quids. Pie was defeated for re-election by a small 
majority. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 151 

General Joseph Hiester (b. 1752-d. 1832), the opponent of Gov- 
ernor Findlay in his first campaign for the Governorship, succeeded 




him in 1820. He was of German parentage and was born at Read- 
ing. In 1776 he was a member of the Conference held at Phila- 
delphia for advocating and assisting the Revolutionary cause. He 
raised a company, was imprisoned by the British, was exchanged, 
rejoined the army, was wounded in the battle of Germantown, and 
continued in service until the close of the war. In 1787 he was a 
member of the convention called to ratify the National Constitution, 
and two years later was a member of the State Constitutional Con- 
vention. He was a member of the State Legislature for several 
terms, and for fourteen years (1799-1805, 1815-1821) represented 
the Berks district in Congress. His administration as Governor was 
marked by increased attention to internal improvements. 

Governor Hiester was succeeded by John Andrew Schulze 
(b.i755-d.i852) ; he filled two terms, and his election marked the 
end of the Federal Party in Pennsylvania. He was the only ordained 
clergyman elected to executive office in Pennsylvania. The son of a 




German Lutheran clergyman, he was born in Berks County. Ill 
health caused him to abandon the ministry after six years of pastoral 
work. He was a member of the House of Representatives, Register, 
Recorder, Prothonotary, Clerk of the Orphans' Court and Clerk of 
the Sessions Court of Lebanon County ; he represented Lebanon 
County in the State Legislature ; he was chosen State Senator for 
Dauphin and Lebanon counties, but within a year of his election was 
elevated to the Governor's chair. 

Much important work in canals was completed during his ad- 
ministration, including the completion of the Schuylkill Navigation 
and Union canals, and extensive work on the Pennsylvania Canal, 
although he had been elected on a retrenchment platform. Large 
State loans were made to these undertakings. Lafayette's second 




152 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

visit to America in 1825 was one of the national and social events 
of his administration. A proposal to call a convention to prepare a 
new State constitution was defeated at the general election in that 
year. 

Like many of the early Governors of Pennsylvania, George Wolf 
(b.i777-d.i84o), was of German descent, and was elected as a Demo- 
crat. He was born in Northampton County 
and began his official life as a clerk in the 
Prothonotary's office of that county. He 
was a postmaster of Easton, Clerk of the 
Orphans' Court of Northampton County, 
member of the Legislature in 1814, and was elected to Congress in 
1824, 1826 and 1828. The anti-Masonic movement had so seriously 
affected the old parties that he was elected for the first time with but 
a narrow margin, which, in its turn, had almost disappeared when 
he was re-elected. His administration was embarrassed by financial 
difficulties resulting from the aid given to transportation proposals 
by his predecessor, but it also witnessed the complete establishment 
of the common school system throughout the State. He was a can- 
didate for a third term, but was defeated. He then became Comp- 
troller of the Treasury and afterward Collector of the Port of 
Philadelphia. 

A State Constitutional Convention was authorized at the general 
election in 1835. Joseph Ritner (b.i78o-d.i869), who had twice 
been the candidate of the Anti-Masonic party, was chosen Governor 
in 1835 by that party with the support of the Whigs (Federalists and 
National Republicans) and some conservative Democrats. He was 




the son of an Alsatian immigrant and was born in Berks County. 
His early schooling was limited to half a year at the age of six, yet 
he so applied himself to study in a hard-working young manhood 
that he perhaps achieved a greater proportional success than any 
other incumbent of the executive office. His early life was passed in 
the west of the State. He represented Washington County in the 
Legislature from 1820 to 1826, for the last two years serving as 
Speaker of the House. He put into practical operation tfie common 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 153 



THE 



BUCKSHOT WAH,^ 



LAST KICK OF ANTI-MASONRY. 



A BUBlESaUE. WEPl!?Yf-»POETIC, PROSAIC, HUMOROUS, SATIRICAL &C. 



Bt PELfeG STURTEVANT. 



" I have attartnfed tho highest point of all my greatness."— 0th elio. 

But such a fall — Oh 'tnas a fall— 
And long to be Temembered. 



HA^RISBURG. 

1839. 

FAC-SIJIILE OF TITLE PAGE OF BUCKSHOT WAR PAMPHLET. 



154 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

school law adopted under Governor Wolf, and was a zealous and 
sincere abolitionist. In later life he became a stanch adherent of the 
Republican party. 

Governor Ritner was a zealous supporter of the free school 
law. The commercial panic of 1837 occurred during his term of 
office, and a new State Constitution was ratified at the October elec- 
tion in 1838. 

Under the Constitution of 1838, 

David Rittenhouse Porter Jan. 15, 1839 — Jan. 21, 1845 

Francis Rawn Shunk Jan. 21, 1845 — July 9,1848 

William Freame Johnston July 26, 1848 — Jan. 20, 1852 

William Bigler Jan. 20, 1852 — Jan. 16, 1855 

James Pollock Jan. 16, 1855 — Jan. 19, 1858 

William Fisher Packer Jan. 19, 1858 — ^Jan. 15, 1861 

Andrew Gregg Curtin Jan. 15, i86x — Jan. 15, 1867 

John White Geary Jan. 15, 1867 — Jan. 21, 1873 

David Rittenhouse Porter (b.i788-d.i867) was the first Gov- 
ernor chosen under the new constitution. He was elected by the 
Democrats after a campaign of unexcelled virulence, in which the 
opposite party, called the United Whig party, and made up of Fed- 
eralists, Anti-Masons and conservative Democrats, supported Gov- 
ernor Ritner. The organization of the State House of Representa- 
tives at the time of his election led to a disturbance known as the 
^„^ Buckshot War, which, however, was 

^^2Zu-*i^ ^C /^^^^^T^^^u^ adjusted without actual conflict. Gov- 
ernor Porter was born in Montgomery 
County, near Norristown, and be- 
longed to a distinguished family. He 
represented Huntingdon County in the 
Legislature in 1819 and 1820, and afterward became Prothonotary 
and Clerk of the Courts of that county, to which were added the 
offices of Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills. He entered the 
State Senate in 1836. His administration suffered from the financial 
depression occasioned by the over-issue of paper currency, and the 
Governor was compelled to take a firm stand in the riots occasioned 
by the Native American Association in Philadelphia in 1843- 1844, 
an organization that looked to the exclusion of foreigners from public 
office, the retention of the Bible in the public schools, and a greater 
severity in the requirements for naturalization. The disturbances 
were suppressed by the militia. 

The financial stringency which began in 1837 reached Pennsyl- 
vania in 1844, and caused the suspension of the two great banks in 




PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 155 

Philadelphia, the United States Bank of Pennsylvania and the 
Girard Banks. "Relief Notes" (§59) were issued and both stocks 
and notes became greatly depreciated. In 1842 the State paid its 
bonded interest in certificates, which, being funded, added to the 
principal of the State debt. Tax loan laws of 1842 and 1843 helped 
to replenish the treasury and restore credit. The State ultimately 
paid its entire indebtedness, including interest on the delayed in- 
terest. 

At the end of his second term Governor Porter was succeeded 
by Francis Rawn Shunk (b.i788-d.i848), who was twice chosen 
Governor, but resigned July 9, 1848, on account of ill health, and 
died a few days after on July 30. He was of Pennsylvania-German 
descent and was born at Trappe. He was admitted to the bar in 
1816, and became Clerk in House of Representatives and after- 
wards Chief Clerk. He then became Secretary of the Canal Com- 
missioners, and was later Secretary of State by appointment of his 
boyhood friend. Governor Porter. His first public office obtained 

through the ballot was that of Governor, which he obtained as a 
Democrat, defeating the Whig candidate. His administration in- 
cluded the Mexican War, and during its continuance the attention 
of the people was concentrated on events connected with it. The 
President's call for six regiments resulted in an offer of nine, which 
were declined. Two regiments were afterwards mustered into ser- 
vice, the first, which was the first from a Northern State to start for 
the seat of war, was mustered in at Pittsburg, leaving that city on 
December 23, 1848. 

An interregnum of two weeks from July 9 to July 26 followed 
the resignation of Governor Shunk. William Freame Johnston 
(b.i8o8-d.i872), who was then the Whig Speaker of the House, 
was the constitutional successor to the office. He was of Scotch 
descent and was born at Greensburg. His first public office was that 

of District-Attorney of his county, which he afterwards represented 
from 1836 to 1841 in the Legislature. In 1847 he was elected to the 
State Senate and was chosen Speaker. On the death of Governor 



156 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Shunk he waived the constitutional privilege of immediately becom: 
ing Governor, issued writs for an election and was chosen for the 
full term, defeating his Democratic opponent. The valuable State 
publications, the Colonial Records and the Pennsylvania Archives, 
were begun under his administration. 

The first State hospital for the insane was begun at Harrisburg 
in 1848, and in the same year the common school system was estab- 
lished throughout the entire State. The erection of a bridge over 
the Ohio River at Wheeling occasioned some excitement in Pitts- 
burg and Western Pennsylvania, owing to the obstruction of the 
river at high water. The Legislature, Congress and the Supreme 
Court of the United States were appealed to and the matter amicably 
settled. The enactment of the compromise measure of 1850 by Con- 
gress vitally affected Pennsylvania, as fugitive slaves had heretofore 
considered themselves free on reaching the State. Various riots 
followed in 1850, notably one at Christiana, Lancaster County. 

William Bigler (b. 1813-d. 1880), a Democrat, was the next Gov- 
ernor. He was a journalist, born of German ancestry at Shermans- 
burg. In 1841 he was elected to 
the State Senate and was chosen 
Speaker in 1843 and 1844. Pie 
supported the bill to build a rail- 
road from Pittsburg to Harris- 
burg, and witnessed its comple- 
tion before the end of his term. It enormously helped in the de- 
velopment of the natural resources of the State. The last of the 
internal improvements undertaken by the Commonwealth was fin- 
ished with the completion of the North Branch Canal in 1854. Gov- 
ernor Bigler failed to be re-elected and on the conclusion of his term 
was sent to the United States Senate. 

James Pollock (b.i8io-d.i89o) was the candidate of the Native 
American or Know-Nothing Party. He was born in Milton, and 
was a man of education, a graduate of Princeton University. He 





was a member of Congress from 1844 to 1850, and was appointed 
President Judge of the Eighth Judicial District in 1850. One of 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 157 

the most important measures of his administration was the sale of 
the public works of the State, the railroad between Pittsburg and 
Philadelphia being sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1857 ^^^ 
$7,500,000. The State debt was largely reduced by this means, but 
the financial panic of the same year resulted in suspension of specie 
payment by the banks of Pennsylvania. A special session of the 
Legislature passed an act legalizing the continuation of the sus- 
pended banks and public credit was saved. In 1861 Governor Pol- 
lock was made Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, and from 1880 
to 1884 he was Naval Officer of the same port. 

William Fisher Packer (b.i8o7-d.i87o) was one of the few men 
of Quaker ancestry who reached the Governor's chair in Pennsyl- 
vania. He was born in Centre County. Originally a printer by 
trade, he took up the study of law. He was a member of the Board 
of Canal Commissioners from 1839 to 1841, and from 1842 to 1847 
was Auditor-General of the Commonwealth. In the latter year he 
became a member of the Legislature and was at once made Speaker 



.^ 




of the House, an office he again received in 1848. He became Sen- 
ator in 1849. -^s Governor he was a firm supporter of State sov- 
ereignty and State rights, but was not a believer in the right of seces- 
sion. He strongly opposed the withdrawal of the Southern States 
from the Union. He was elected as a Democrat, and his strongest 
opponent was David Wilmot, the Free-Soil candidate. 

The question of the admission of Kansas to Statehood was then 
exciting public attention throughout America, and the events imme- 
diately preceding the secession of South Carolina absorbed public 
interests in every part of the Union. On December 24, i860, an 
attempt to remove ordnance from the arsenal at Pittsburg for the 
defence of Southern ports was resisted by the citizens. 

Andrew Gregg Curtin (b.i8i7-d.i894), the famous "War Gov- 
ernor" of Pennsylvania, occupied the Governor's chair from 1861 
to 1867. He was the first candidate of the newly formed Republican 
party for Governor. He was of Irish ancestry, was born in Belle- 



158 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

fonte, and was a graduate of the Dickinson College Law School. 
He was a member of the Electoral College for Taylor, managed the 
Governorship campaign for James Pollock, and was appointed by the 
latter Secretary of the Commonwealth. His administration of his 
office as Governor was one of the strongest factors in the mainten- 
ance of the Union and forms a notable chapter in our national his- 
tory. Unflagging in his duties, zealous and able in his advice, he rose 
to the emergencies of his great office in a splendid and unrivaled 
manner. Throughout his administrations the interests of the people 
were centred in the events of the Civil War, which culminated in 

the invasion of the State and the terrible battle of Gettysburg. (See 
§65.) Governor Curtain was United States Minister to Russia from 
1869 to 1872, was a conspicuous figure in the Constitutional Conven- 
tion of 1873, and was a member of Congress from 1881 to 1887. 

John White Geary (b.i8i9-d.i873) enjoyed the unusual distinc- 
tion of having been Governor of Kansas and of having declined the 
Governorship of Utah before he was chosen Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania. He was born in Westmoreland County, and was a graduate 
of Jefferson College. He raised a company for service in the Mexi- 
can War and was wounded in the storming of Chapultepec. In 
1849 he was appointed Postmaster of San Francisco and Mail Agent 




for the Pacific Coast. He was chosen first Alcalde of the city, then 
made Judge of the First Instance, and in 1850 became the first Amer- 
ican Mayor. He declined the Governorship of Utah in 1855, but 
accepted that of Kansas in the following year. He raised a regiment 
at the opening of the Civil War, became Brigadier-General of Vol- 
unteers in 1862, and at the close was brevetted Major-General of 
Volunteers. The State debt was reduced $10,000,000 during his 
terms of office. 

The industries of Pennsylvania were greatly developed during 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 159 

this period, and the foundations laid for the later industrial pros- 
perity of the State. Riots in Williamsport in July, 1871, neces- 
sitated the calling out of the militia, but the disturbances, known 
as the Saw-Dust War, were quieted without actual conflict. 

Under the Constitution of 1873. 

John Frederick Hartranft Jan. 21, 1873 — Jan. 18, 1879 

Henry Martyn Hoyt Jan. 18, 1879— Jan. 16, 1883 

Robert Emory Pattison Jan. 16, 1883 — Jan. 18, 1887 

James Addams Beaver Jan. 18, 1887 — Jan. 20, 1891 

Robert Emory Pattison Jan. 20, 1891 — Jan. 15, 1895 

Daniel Hartman Hastings Jan. 15, 1895 — Jan. 17, 1899 

William Alexis Stone Jan. 17, 1899 — Jan. 20, 1903 

Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker Jan. 20, 1903 — 

In 1871 the General Assembly had taken the first steps towards 
obtaining a new constitution for the State, and it was adopted at an 
election in December 18, 1873, going into effect in the following 
January. John Frederick Hartranft (b.i830-d.i889) was the first 
Governor to serve under the new organic law. Like his immediate 
predecessor, he was of distinguished military eminence. He was of 
German ancestry and was born in Montgomery County. He was 

educated at Marshall and Union colleges. He became Deputy- 
Sheriff of his county in 1854 and was admitted to the Bar in 1859. 
He entered the army at the beginning of the war, was commissioned 
Brigadier-General in 1864 and brevetted Major-General in the fol- 
lowing years for "conspicuous gallantry in recapturing Fort Stead- 
man." He was Auditor-General of the State from 1866 to 1872. 
On relinquishing the Governorship he was appointed Postmaster of 
Philadelphia, and was Collector of that port from 1880 to 1885. He 
was Commanding General of the National Guard, with the rank of 
Major-General, from 1879 until the time of his death, in 1889. 

Various labor troubles in 1874 and in later years necessitated the 
calling out of the militia for the protection of property. These dis- 
turbances included the suppression of the "Molly Maguires" in the 
coal regions, a body of terrifiers whose operations had begun as far 



i6o 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



back as the Civil War; and the great railroad strike of 1877, when 
the railroad employees throughout the State refused to work and 
much damage was done in Pittsburg and Reading. The celebration 
of the one hundredth anniversary of the independence of the United 
States by the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876 was an 
event of great importance to the arts and industries of America, and 
marked the beginning of industrial art in its best sense in this 
country. 

Henry Martyn Hoyt (b.i830-d.i892) was born of English an- 
cestry at Kingston, He passed two years at Lafayette College, and 
was graduated from Williams College in 1849. He was admitted to 
the Bar of Luzerne County in 1853. He entered the army at the 



d ^ — -^^ — 




beginning of the Civil War and was held in captivity at Charleston 
for some time ; on his release he was brevetted Brigadier-General. 
He was appointed an additional Law Judge for Luzerne County in 
1867; from 1869 to 1873 he was Collector of Internal Revenue for 
Luzerne and Susquehanna counties, and he was Chairman of the 
Republican State Committee in 1875. He was elected Governor as 
a believer in "honest money" and was the first Governor to serve a 
term of four years under the Constitution of 1873. 

Robert Emory Pattison (b.1850) enjoys the distinction of hav- 
ing served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania which were not 
consecutive, and of being the only Democratic Governor of the State 
since the Civil War. He was born at Quantico, Md., of Pennsyl- 




vania parentage. He was graduated from the Central High School 
of Philadelphia, and was admitted to the Bar in 1872. He was twice 
elected Controller of Finances in Philadelphia, in 1877 and 1880. 
He was elected Governor on a Democratic ticket ; unable to succeed 
himself by a constitutional provision, the same party elected him a 




u 



o 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



i6i 



second time in 1890. In the interval between his two terms he was 
a member of the Commission to Investigate the Pacific Railways, 
and was chosen Chairman of that body. 

James Addams Beaver (b.1837) succeeded Governor Patti- 
son at the conclusion of his first term. He was born in Millerstown 
in 1837, and was a descendant of a Palatine settler. He was grad- 
uated from Jefferson College, at Cannonsburg, and was admitted to 
the Bar of Centre County in 1859. He early entered the war and 
lost his right leg at Ream's Station in 1864. He was brevetted 

Brigadier-General for distinguished gallantry. Mustered out through 
disability occasioned by wounds received in the war, he continued his 
interest in the National Guard, in which he served as Major-Gen- 
eral from 1875 to 1878, and as Brigadier-General from 1878 to 1883. 
He was Chief Burgess of Belief onte in 1865 ; member of the Com- 
mission for the Construction of the State Hospital for the Insane at 
Warren from 1873 to 1881 ; Chairman of the Pennsylvania delega- 
tion to the Republican National Convention of 1880; was unsuccess- 
ful candidate for United States Senator in 1881 ; an unsuccessful 
candidate for Governor in 1882, but was chosen to the latter office 
by a large majority in 1886. He was appointed a Judge of the 
Superior Court of Pennsylvania in 1895, and in 1898 was made a 
member of the Commission to Investigate the Conduct of the War 
Department in the war with Spain. 

Governor Beaver was succeeded by his predecessor, ex-Governor 
Robert E. Pattison, and the latter was followed, on the conclusion of 



7/MuC. 





second term, by Daniel Hartman Hastings (b.i849-d.i903). He was 
born in Centre County, of Scotch-Irish parentage, and was admitted 
to the Bar in 1875. Too young to serve in the Civil War, he took 



i62 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

great interest in the National Guard, and was appointed Adjutant- 
General of the Commonwealth by Governor Beaver, He displayed 
remarkable executive ability in connection with the Johnstown Flood, 
and was chosen Governor in 1894. 

William Alexis Stone (b.1846) was born in Tioga County. 
Notwithstanding his youth he was permitted to enlist in the 187th 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served with his regiment until it was 

mustered out in 1865. He was admitted to the Bar in 1870; was 
District- Attorney of Tioga County from 1875 to 1877, and United 
States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, with head- 
quarters at Pittsburg, from 1880 to 1886. He was a member of Con- 
gress from 1 89 1 to 1899. 

The inauguration of Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker (b. 1843) 
in January, 1903, completes the roll of the Governors of 
Pennsylvania. Governor Pennypacker was born in Phoenixville, 
Chester Co. The descendant of a German Quaker, in 1862 he en- 
listed as a U. S. volunteer and afterwards was graduated from the 
Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania, In 1868 he was 




JOv^^Or^ 



.^AA.^-*^ 




chosen President of the Law Academy ; in 1886 he became a member 
of the Philadelphia Board of Education and in 1889 was appointed a 
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas by Governor Beaver. He was 
President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas No. 2 of Philadelphia 
at the time of his nomination for Governor. He is President of the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania and is widely known for his his- 
torical researches and writings. He possesses one of the finest pri- 
vate libraries of early Pennsylvania publications in existence. 

44. Political Parties. — Political parties in Pennsylvania be- 
gan with differences on the rights and privileges of the proprietary- 
ship. The earliest were ( i ) the Proprietary party, headed by James 
Logan, which included warm adherents of William Penn; (2) the 
Popular party, headed by David Lloyd, which desired much greater 
political freedom than even the liberal views of Penn provided ; and 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 163 

(3), the Church party, headed by Col. Robert Quarry, composed of 
the EpiscopaHans in the Province, and was also in opposition to Penn. 

At a later period party spirit was developed under Governor 
Thomas about 1740, who actively espoused the cause of military de- 
velopment. In the election of 1742 there were two parties (i), the 
Popular or Country party, having an overwhelming majority in the 
counties, and opposed to the military proclivities of the Governor; 
and (2) the Gentlemen's party, consisting of the Governor and his 
followers, and strong in the city of Philadelphia. 

About 1755 the question of taxing the proprietary estates de- 
veloped party feeling. At this time the Proprietary party included 
the Episcopalians of Philadelphia and the Presbyterians of the 
country; while the Popular party included the Quakers and Ger- 
mans, and won overwhelmingly in the election of that year. 

The division of the people into two great parties, the Proprietary 
and the Anti-Proprietary, continued after the arrival of Governor 
John Penn; and the agitation for making Pennsylvania a Crown 
colony was openly spoken of and discussed in the Assembly. The 
Penns being now members of the Church of England, a readjust- 
ment in the composition of the parties ensued. The Crown colony 
project was opposed by the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians. The 
Quakers were divided, most of them supporting Franklin in his agi- 
tation for a Crown colony ; the Germans sided with the Quakers. 

The Proprietary party made some slight gains in the election of 
1764, but did not have more than a third of the Assembly. Frank- 
lin failed of election and was sent abroad to continue the agitation. 
He was soon advised to await favorable circumstances, but when he 
reached England the discussion occasioned by the Stamp Act ren- 
dered further negotiations useless. 

With the Revolution party lines ceased to be drawn on ques- 
tions relating to the proprietaryship, and the two great parties be- 
came the Radicals and the Loyalists. The haste to declare independ- 
ence drove many Quakers to the Loyalists. They, however, were 
not active, and gave no aid to that cause. The Whig party grew 
rapidly from November, 1775, to June, 1776, and advocated not only 
an early declaration of independence, but also an immediate substi- 
tution of government by constitution instead of the Penn Charter. 

The Pennsylvania constitution of 1776 gave the powers of the 
State to the radical revolutionary party, now called Constitutional- 



i64 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

ists; the opposition were called Anti-Constitutionalists or Repub- 
licans, and was made up of the old Proprietary party, who had 
mostly gone over to the Royalists ; the Quakers, who withdrew en- 
tirely from public affairs, and moderate men like Dickinson, Robert 
Morris and Mifflin. The Constitutionalists came into power imme- 
diately after the evacuation of Philadelphia, and at the end of the 
Revolution the Anti-Constitutionalists came in. 

When the Constitution of the United States was completed a 
fresh distribution of parties took place, and the division became 
more and more on national lines. The old parties took new names. 
The Constitutionalists became Anti-Federalists, and the Anti-Con- 
stitutionalists became Federalists. A fierce pamphlet war ensued, 
and the Federalists were overwhelmingly victorious on questions 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, 1829. 

that were neither Provincial nor State, but national. Later on the 
opposing party, owing to the popularity of the Constitution, could not 
call themselves Anti-Federalists, but were known as Democratic- 
Republicans, or by either name separately. The election of McKean 
in 1799 and of Jefferson in 1800 placed Pennsylvania in the Demo- 
cratic ranks, where she remained for many years. An agitation for 
a change in the Constitution making the election of Senators annual, 
reducing the Governor's patronage and limiting the tenure of the 
judiciary was begun in 1805 by a party assuming the title of "Con- 
stitutionalists ;" the opponents called themselves "Friends of the Peo- 
ple" ; no results. 

Then came the demand for the representation of the "common 
people" as opposed to the aristocracy from which Pennsylvania 
officials and legislators had heretofore been chiefly chosen. It cul- 
minated in the nomination of Simon Snyder when first nominated 
for the Governorship — a man of no education and little known. A 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 165 

new party was formed for a short time, called "The Tertium Quids" 
[meaning an intermediate or middle party], soon shortened to 
"Quids," with McKean as its candidate. It included the Federalists 
generally, and McKean was elected, but by the end of his third 
term it had disappeared. 

In the election that resulted in the election of Governor Findlay 
(1817) the parties were (i) Federalists; (2), moderate Democrats, 
calling themselves Independent Republicans, Democrats of the Revo- 
lution, and Old Schoolmen; and (3), a few independents called 
Quids. The same parties took part in the succeeding campaign, but 
Findlay was defeated. At the election of Governor Schulze the 
Federal party practically came to an end, and his opponents hardly 
ventured to call themselves Federalists. 



PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, 1832. 

An entirely new feature in party development came in with the 
Anti-Masonic movement, which originated in New York in 1826 and 
soon developed great popular interest. It first seriously manifested 
itself in Pennsylvania in the campaign for Governor in 1829. In 
1838 Governor Ritner was for the fourth time proposed for Gov- 
ernor by his party, now called the United Whig party, and made up 
of Federalists, Anti-Masons and conservative Democrats. He was 
defeated, and with the election of Porter the Anti-Masonic party 
disappeared, and its members became Whigs and afterwards Liberty 
Men and Republicans. 

With the approach of the Civil War political issues in Penn- 
sylvania centred more and more around the slavery question. The 



i66 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER 

"Know Nothing," or Native American party, originated early in 
the fifties; it proposed to change the naturalization laws so as to 
exclude foreigners who had been in the country less than 21 years 
from voting, to support schools with the Bible, and to oppose 
political Romanism and denominationalism. The party elected Gov- 
ernor Pollock (1854), but ceased to influence State and national 
politics at the expiration of his term. 

The Free Soil party cast a large vote in 1857, ^"^ soon after 
the Republican party, which originated in Michigan, was formed. 
In Pennsylvania this great party was, at the beginning, made up of 
many incongruous elements, and old enemies became allies. The 
first national convention of the new party was held in Philadelphia 
in June, 1856. John C. Fremont was nominated for the Presidency, 
but James Buchanan of Pennsylvania was nominated by the Demo- 
crats in the hope that he would carry Pennsylvania, long regarded 
as a pivotal State whose vote would determine the election. 
Buchanan won, and Pennsylvania's electoral vote was, for the last 
time, cast in the Democratic column. 

Pennsylvania was firmly committed to anti-Slavery by i860, 
Andrew G. Curtin was chosen Governor as a Republican by a 
large majority, and Abraham Lincoln a month later received the 
vote of the State, although it had long been consistently and con- 
servatively Democratic. 

45. Party Votes for Governor. 

Successful Candidates. Defeated Candidates. 
1790 Thomas Mifflin, Democrat. 27,725. .Arthur St. Clair, Federalist 2,802 
1793 Thomas Mifflin, Democrat. 18,590.. F. A. Muhlenberg, Fed- 
eralist 10,706 

1796 Thomas Mifflin, Democrat. 30,020.. F. A. Muhlenberg, Fed- 
eralist 1,011 

1799 Thomas McKean, Democrat 38,036. .James Ross, Federalist 32,641 

1802 Thomas McKean, Democrat 47,879. .James Ross (Pittsburg), 

Federalist 9,499 

James Ross, Federalist 7,538 

Scattering 94 

1805 Thomas McKean, Inde- ..Simon Snyder, Democrat.. 38,438 

pendent Democrat 43,644 Simon Snyder 395 

1808 Simon Snyder, Democrat.. 67,975. James Ross, Federalist 39,575 

John Spayd, Federalist... 4,006 

Scattering 8 

1811 Simon Snyder, Democrat.. 52,319. -William Tilghman, Fed- 
eralist 3,609 

Scattering 1,675 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 167 

Successful Candidates. Defeated Candidates. 

1814 Simon Snyder, Democrat. . 51,099. .Isaac Wayne, Federalist. .. 29,566 

George Lattimer, Inde- 
pendent 910 

Scattering 18 

1817 William Findlay, Democrat 66,331 . .Joseph Hiester, Federalist. 59,272 

Scattering 11 

1820 Joseph Hiester, Federalist. 67,905. .William Findlay, Democrat 66,300 

Scattering 21 

1823 J. Andrew Schulze, . .Andrew Gregg, Federalist. 64,211 

Democrat 89,928 Scattering 8 

1826 J. Andrew Schulze, ..John Sergeant, Federalist. 1,175 

Democrat 72,710 Scattering i,i74 

. .Joseph Ritner, Anti-Mason 61,776 

1829 George Wolf, Democrat. . . 78,219 Scattering 12 

. .Joseph Ritner, Anti-Mason 88,165 
1832 George Wolf, Democrat... 91,335. .George Wolf, Independent 

1835 Joseph Ritner, Anti-Mason 94,023 Democrat 65,804 

H. A. Muhlenberg, 

Democrat 40,586 

. .Joseph Ritner, Anti-Mason 122,321 

1838 David R. Porter, Democrat 127,825. .John Banks, Whig II3473 

1841 David R. Porter, Democrat 136,504 F. J. Lamoyne, Abolition.. 763 

Scattering 23 

. .Joseph Markle, Whig 156,040 

1844 Francis R. Shunk, F. J. Lamoyne, Abolition.. 2,566 

Democrat 160,322 

1847 Francis R. Shunk, ..James Irvin, Whig 128,148 

Democrat 146,081 E. G. Reigart, Native 

American 1 1,247 

F. J. Lamoyne, Abolition.. 1,861 

Scattering 6 

1848 William F. Johnson, Whig. 168,522. .Morris Longstreth, 

Democrat 168,225 

E. B. Gazzam, Free Soil... 48 

Scattering 24 

1851 William Bigler, Democrat. 186,489. .William F. Johnston, Whig 178,034 

Kimber Cleaver, Native 

American 1.850 

Scattering 67 

1854 James Pollock, Whig and . .William Bigler, Democrat. 166,991 

American 203,822 B. Rush Bradford, Free 

Soil 2,194 

Scattering 33 

1857 William F. Packer, ..David Wilmot, Free Soil.. 146,139 

Democrat 188,846 Isaac Hazelhurst, American 28,168 

Scattering 12 

l86o Andrew G. Curtin, . .Henry D. Foster, Democrat 230,230 

Republican 262,346 

1863 Andrew G. Curtin, . .George W. Woodward, 

Republican 269,506 Democrat 254,171 

Scattering 2 



i68 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Successful Candidates. 

1866 John W. Geary, Republican 307,274- 

1869 John W. Geary, Republican 290,552. 

1872 John F. Hartranft, 

Republican 353,28; 

1875 John F. Hartranft, 

Republican 304,i75 

1878 Henry M. Hoyt, 

Republican 319,567 

1882 Robert E. Pattison, 

Democrat 355,791 



1886 James A. Beaver, 
Republican 



1890 Robert E. Pattison, 
Democrat 



1894 Daniel H. Hastings, 
Republican 



412,285 



464,209 



574,801 



1898 William A. Stone, 
Republican 



476,206 



Defeated Candidates. 

.Hiester Clymer, Democrat. 290,096 

.Asa Packer, Democrat.... 285,956 

.Charles R. Buckalew, 

Democrat 317,760 

S. B. Chase, Prohibition... 1,259 

.Cyrus L. Pershing, 

Democrat 292,145 

R. Audley Brown, 
Prohibition 13,244 

.Andrew H. Dill, Democrat 297,060 
Samuel R. Mason, 

National Greenback 81,758 

Franklin H. Lane, 
Prohibition 3,653 

.James A. Beaver, 

Republican 315,589 

John Stewart, Independent 

Republican 43,743 

Thomas A. Armstrong, 

Greenback-Labor 23,484 

Alfred C. Pettit, 

Temperance 5,196 

.Chauncey F. Black, 

Democrat 369,634 

Charles S. Wolf, 

Prohibition 32,458 

Robert J. Houston, 

Greenback 4,835 

.George W. Delamater, 

Republican 447,655 

John D. Gill, Prohibition.. 16,108 
T. P. Rynder, Labor 224 

..William M. Singerly, 

Democrat 333,404 

Charles L. Hawley, 

Prohibition 23,433 

Jerome T. Ailman, People's 19,464 
Thomas H. Grundy, 

Socialist Labor 1,733 

Scattering 182 

.George A. Jenks, Democrat 358,300 
Silas C. Swallow, 

Prohibition 125,746 

Silas C. Swallow, People's. 2,058 

Silas C. Swallow, Liberty. 632 
Silas C. Swallow, 

Honest Government 4,495 

J. Mahlon Barnes, 

Socialist Labor 4,278 

Scattering 33 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



169 



Successful Candidates. 
1902 Samuel W. Pennypacker, 

Republican 

Samuel W. Pennypacker, 
Citizens' 



Defeated Candidates. 

592,867. .Robert E. Pattison, 

Democrat 436,451 

461. .Robert E. Pattison, 

Anti-Machine 9,55° 

Robert E. Pattison, 

Ballot-Reform 4,977 

Silas C. Swallow, 

Prohibition 23,327 

William Adams, 

Socialist Labor S.iSS 

J. W. Slayton, Socialist... 21,910 
Scattering 78 



ELECTOKS. 



JOHN C. FREMONT. 

James Irvin. 
Joseph Edwards. 
George N. Eckert. 
Mahlon H. Dickinson. 
Wilson Jewell. 
Albert 0]r Rowland. 
Caleb N. Taylor. 
"William Darlington, M. D, 
William M. Baird 
Michael H. Shirk. 
Simon Cameron. 
John McCormick. 
Smith B. Thompson. 
Kussell F. Lord. 
Frederick E. Smith. 
Abraham Updegraff. 
Joseph D. Simpson. 
Hezekiah Easton. 
Edward Scull, 
William M. Stewart. 
Al&ed Patterson. 
Benair C Sawyer. 
Jacob Painter. 
Lawrence L. M'Guffin. 
George W. Arnold. 
James Skinner. 



FAC-SIMILE OF FIRST REPUBLICAN ELECTORAL TICXET 
IN PENNSYLVANIA, 1856, 



IJ^O 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



CHAPTER IX. 
The Revolution. 

46. Change from Proprietary to 5tate Government. — In 

1775 Congress resolved to establish a Continental Army, and the As- 
sembly of Pennsylvania superseded the jurisdiction of Governor 
Penn by the Committee of Safety on June 30, recommending, at the 
same time, that the County Commissioners provide arms and direct- 
ing that the officers of military associations select minute men to be 
held ready for service. The Committee of Safety numbered 25, 
afterwards increased to 33, with Franklin as President; it was em- 
powered to call volunteer troops into action, support them and care 
for the defense of the Province. The soldiers of the associations re- 




SEAL OF THE CONVENTION FOR THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1776. 

fused to sign certain regulations of the Committee if the Quakers 
were exempted from service. April 5, 1776, the Assembly resolved 
that all able-bodied persons, except ministers, schoolmasters and cer- 
tain classes of servants, should join a military association or pay an 
equivalent, which was fixed at £3 los. 

The formation of a commonwealth government began June 18, 
1776, with a Provincial Convention of 108 members representing each 
county equally, held in Philadelphia. This body ordered a constitu- 
tional convention to consist of eight representatives from each 
county. The latter body met July 11, with Franklin as President, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



171 



and elected the delegates who afterwards signed the Declaration of 
Independence. On July 23, it created the Council of Safety to suc- 
ceed the Committee of Safety. It was voted that "every person 
proscribed by a committee of inspection or safety as an enemy to the 
liberties of America, and not yet restored to the favor of his country, 
should be excluded from the franchise ; and every elector, if required, 
should take an oath or affirmation that he did not hold himself in 
allegiance to George III. and would not oppose the establishment of 




SEAL OF THE COMMITTEE OF SAFETY, 1775. 



a free government within the Province, nor the measures adopted by 
Congress against the tyranny of Great Britain." After a session 
of two months a constitution was completed, signed by the President, 
and, on September 28, "committed to the Council of Safety with 
directions to deliver it to the General Assembly of the Common- 
wealth at its first meeting." During the time of its duration the 
constitutional convention assumed the entire political power. Mean- 
while the Whigs had withdrawn from the Assembly, which found 
itself powerless to transact business in the absence of a quorum. The 
last record of the Provincial Assembly and the last phase of pro- 



172 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

prietary government in Pennsylvania was a protest against these 
doings, made September 26, 1776. 

The new State government was finally organized under the 
Constitution of 1776 on March 4, 1777, by the Supreme Executive 
Council, with Thomas Wharton, Jr., as President and George Bryan 
as Vice-President. 

47. The Beginnings of the Revolutionary War. — Penn- 
sylvania occupied a very different position from the colonies of Mas- 
sachusetts and Virginia which took the lead in events leading to the 
Revolution. Massachusetts had been founded as a free colony, with 
very large rights of self-government. It was the loss of these 
rights, and the adoption of a new colonial policy by the English 
Crown that caused the agitation in Massachusetts that resulted in the 
Revolution. Virginia, though less favorably situated in its origin, 
had acquired an independence almost as great as Massachusetts, and 
its loss resulted almost exactly as had been the case with the New 
England colony. 

Pennsylvania, on the other hand, hesitated to enter the Revolu- 
tion because it had never known a more liberal government than that 
given it by Penn ; and this was itself so liberal, and the colony had 
flourished so abundantly under it, that the people did not feel the 
necessity for further agitation than what had already been done in 
their own Legislature. 

The religious and racial differences of the people had a most 
important bearing on this matter. The Quakers were opposed to all 
revolutions, and dominated the eastern part of the Province. The 
Germans, unfamiliar with the English language and largely unable 
to comprehend the points in dispute, were indifferent to the cause in 
its early stages, and relied on the Quakers for guidance. Many non- 
combatant sects also entertained views identical with the Quakers 
as to the bearing of arms. The Churchmen were largely conserva- 
tive, and a number of its clergy were Tories on account of their 
ordination vows. The Scotch-Irish were alone eagerly in favor of 
a revolution. 

The problem of the pre-revolutionary movement in Pennsyl- 
vania was one of acquiescence and support. The events that im- 
mediately brought it about took place in Massachusetts, and the 
people of that colony, knowing they could depend on Virginia, very 
early turned their attention towards securing the co-operation of 
Pennsylvania, which was needed to complete the chain of colonies 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 173 

for successful agitation. Paul Revere reached Philadelphia May 19, 
1774, on a mission from Massachusetts to gain the support of the 
Province. John Dickinson, George Ross, George Clymer, Charles 
Thomson, Thomas Mifflin, Joseph Reed and Thomas McKean were 
the most conspicuous leaders of the Liberal party in Pennsylvania. 
Resolutions of sympathy with Massachusetts were adopted at a meet- 
ing held at the city tavern on Second street above Walnut, and again 
at the State House, at a public meeting held June 18, 1774, at which 
a congress of all the colonies was recommended, and a committee of 
correspondence appointed for Philadelphia, to act with the county 
committees that had been established in the country districts by the 
liberty leaders some months before. 

The Congress of all the Colonies, known as the Continental Con- 
gress, assembled in Carpenters* Hall, Philadelphia, in September, 
1774. Delegates from eleven colonies attended September 5, and 
representatives from North Carolina joined them September 14. Pey- 
ton Randolph was chosen President and Charles Thomson Secretary. 
Joseph Galloway, Samuel Rhoads, Thomas Mifflin, Charles Humph- 
reys, John Morton, George Ross and Edward Biddle represented 
Pennsylvania. John Dickinson was afterwards added to this num- 
ber, and all the important conclusions of the Congress were drafted 
by him, including the petition to the King and the address to the 
people of Canada. The approval of these proceedings by the As- 
sembly was also obtained by Dickinson. 

A Provincial Conference was held January 23, 1775, with 
Joseph Reed as President, to enforce the measures recommended by 
Congress. It authorized the Committee of Correspondence of 
Philadelphia to act as a standing committee of correspondence for 
the Province, and empowered it to call a Provincial Convention when 
deemed necessary. The non-importation agreement was vigorously 
enforced by the committee. After the battle of Lexington the com- 
mittee actively interested itself in military afifairs and companies of 
militia or associators were formed through its influence. 

June 14, 1775, Congress recommended the raising of six com- 
panies of expert riflemen in Pennsylvania for service near Boston; 
two more companies were ordered, and a battalion was formed. 
Six infantry battalions of eight companies each were raised 
by order of Congress in the last half of 1775. Boats and 
ships were built to protect the Delaware, and a chevaux-de- 
frise, made of logs, was placed across the river. Forts were 



174 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

erected at Billingsport, N, J., and at other places. May 8, 
1776, an engagement took place in the Delaware between the British 
vessels "Roebuck" and "Liverpool," and the local ships, which re- 
sulted in the withdrawal of the attacking vessels to the Capes. Con- 
gress then established a continental marine, and provided for the 
building and equipment of a number of vessels. 

In February, 1776, the Committee of Safety applied to the 
Assembly for permission to raise 2,000 men, and authority was 
granted for raising 1,500, to serve until January i, 1778. The 
Flying Camp of 10,000 men was established by Congress June 3, 
1776, and 6,000 men were apportioned to Pennsylvania, 600 to the 
Lower Counties, and the balance to Maryland. By August 12 the 
Pennsylvania forces consisted of (i) the associators or associated 
battalions, of 57 companies; (2) the State militia of three battalions 
of 1,500 men; and (3) the Flying Camp, to which four battalions 
had been added, apportioned among the various counties. 

The Assembly of 1775 yielded to the associators and the Com- 
mittee of Safety through necessity and not from conviction. June 
14, 1776, it declared that all hopes of compromise or peaceful adjust- 
ment were at an end, and resolved to unite with the other colonies in 
such matters as might be determined for the public good, but left the 
question of separation to be determined by Congress. 

The vote for independence taken in Congress on July 2, 1776, 
was given by Pennsylvania as three in favor, Franklin, Wilson and 
Morton, and two against, Willing and Humphreys. Franklin was 
the only one of the Pennsylvania delegation who voted for independ- 
ence from the beginning; Dickinson and Robert Morris absented 
themselves from the voting. The Declaration of Independence, 
adopted July 4, was a public expression of the vote taken on July 
2. The signatures were attached in August, and the Pennsylvania 
signers, owing to some changes in the delegation, made by the con- 
vention of July 20, were Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin 
Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Tay- 
lor, James Wilson and George Ross. 

48. Pine Creek Declaration of Independence.- The Pine 
Creek Declaration of Independence is the name given to resolu- 
tions similar to those adopted by the Continental Congress that were 
adopted by the Scotch-Irish living near Horn's Fort on the west 
branch of the Susquehanna River, which is now in Wayne Town- 
ship, Clinton County, at a meeting held on the Pine Creek plains. No 



PENNSYLVANIA : A PRIMER. 



175 




176 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

written records of this meeting have been preserved, but the tradition 
of the gathering and the resolutions, adopted July 4, 1776, is a per- 
sistent one. 

49. The Revolutionary War. — The events of the Revolution- 
ary War in Pennsylvania were chiefly concerned with the occupation 
of Philadelphia and military events in the vicinity of that city. 
(For the invasion of the Wyoming Valley by the British see §38.) 

On December 8, 1776, Washington was on the west bank of the 
Delaware with the American Army ; Howe, with the British forces, 
reached Trenton before the rear-guard of the Americans had landed 
in Pennsylvania. The utmost consternation pervaded Philadelphia 
on the approach of the British, and on news of their arrival at Tren- 
ton Congress adjourned to Baltimore, giving Washington "full 
power to order and direct all things relative to the department and 
to the operations of the war." The American Army was encamped 
from Coryell's Ferry to Bristol. Sterling, Mercer, Stephen and 
Fermoy guarded the crossings above Trenton. Ewing was opposite 
Trenton; Dickinson was opposite Bordentown, and Cadwalader 
with the Pennsylvania militia was at Bristol. On December 26th 
Washington, having recrossed the Delaware on Christmas night, at- 
tacked the British forces at Trenton and was successful. Some of 
the Hessian prisoners were marched through Philadelphia as a 
demonstration of the victory. The engagements at Princeton fol- 
lowed, and Washington remained in winter quarters at Morristown 
from January 7 to May 28, 1777. 

Battle of the Brandywine. — On July 23 Howe sailed from 
New York with a large fleet and entered Chesapeake Bay August 
15, landing at Elk Ferry on the 25th. Washington, uncertain of 
the movements of the enemy, marched towards Philadelphia, sta- 
tioning himself in Bucks County, where he was joined by Lafayette, 
De Kalb and Pulaski. August 24 he marched through Philadel- 
phia, halting south of Wilmington, and sending forward a picked 
corps under Maxwell, who was driven back in a severe skirmish at 
Aitken's Tavern. In order to prevent the British from crossing the 
Brandywine, and gaining the road to Philadelphia, Washington en- 
camped at Chadd's Ford, September 8. Howe was at Kennett 
Square, and on the nth sent a portion of his force under Knyphausen 
to attack Maxwell, who had crossed the stream to meet him, and 
engaged the Americans while Howe and Cornwallis with the bal- 
ance of the British Army, crossed the Brandywine and moved south 




U-, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



177 




MAP OF THE CAMPAIGN OF I777. 

A. British army before the battle of the Brandywine. B. Knyphausen's ad- 
vance. C. Cornwallis having turned the wing of the American army. D. 
SulHvan advanced to oppose him. E. American army. F. Howe's quar- 
ters, a a a. Washington's retreat to Chester and Philadelphia. G. His 
camp at Chester. Zigzag marks show where Americans might have been 
attacked after the battle. H. Washington's flight after his skirmish at 
Goshen. I. His retreat when Howe crossed the Schuylkill. K. Washing- 
ton's camp before the battle of Germantown. L. His camp at Whitemarsh. 
_M. First position of British. N. Second position. O O O. Where Wash- 
ington rnight have been attacked. P. British camp at Germantown. Line 

of — indicates marches of British. Line of marches of American army. 

Q. Washington's lines at Valley Forge. 



178 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

to attack the American flank. Misled by a message from General 
Sullivan that the British were not coming from the north, Washing- 
ton remained where he was, and being attacked from both sides was 
compelled to retreat to Chester, subsequently passing through Phila- 
delphia to Germantown. 

Paoli Massacre. — Though but twenty miles away, the British 
consumed two weeks in getting to Philadelphia. The two armies 
met near Warren Tavern, on the Lancaster road, twenty-two miles 
from Philadelphia, on September i6; but a violent rainstorm ruined 
the ammunition of both forces, and Washington retreated across the 
Schuylkill, leaving Wayne to protect his rear. On the night of the 
20th Wayne was surprised about two miles west of the Paoli Inn, and 
lost 300 killed, with many prisoners, an incident known as the Paoli 
Massacre. Howe sought to cross the Schuylkill at Swedes Ford, but 
finding Washington entrenched there, moved up the river. Wash- 
ington followed him, but Howe returned and crossed at Fatland 
and Gordon's Fords on the night of the 22d. On the 25th he en- 
camped at Germantown and the next day Cornwallis took possession 
of the city. 

Occupation of Philadelphia. — The greatest alarm pervaded 
Philadelphia on the defeat of Washington at the Brandywine. The 
public books and papers were taken to Easton, and the floating 
bridge across the Schuylkill was removed. The Congress and As- 
sembly adjourned to Lancaster September 18, and returned only 
on June 25, 1778. The British immediately fortified the city, defend- 
ing the two river fronts by batteries and guards, and completing a 
line of redoubts, begun by General Putnam as a defense against the 
British, and discontinued after the battle of Germantown, when they 
were no longer deemed necessary. They extended from river to 
river, along the present line of Poplar, Green and Callowhill streets. 
An encampment was established on Society Hill, which followed the 
southern side of Dock Creek; the artillery was placed in Chestnut 
street, between Second and Third, with their cannon in the State 
House yard; the 42d Highlanders were on Chestnut street below 
Third; and the 15th Regiment was at Fifth and Market streets. 
A strong force was maintained at Germantown, extending from the 
Schuylkill, near the mouth of the Wissahickon, along Old School 
Lane, across Germantown, and along Mill street to the Old York 
Road. Cornwallis was in Philadelphia and Howe near German- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



179 



town. Washington was about fifteen miles away, and moved from 
Metutchen Hills to attack the enemy at Germantown. 

Battle of Germantown. — Washington began his movement on 
the night of October 3, and the battle took place the next day. One 




PLAN OF THE WORKS AND ENCAMPMENTS OF THE BRITISH FORCES IN PHILADEL- 
PHIA, I777-I778. 

division of the American Army under Armstrong attacked the 
British near the Wissahickon ; another under Sullivan and Wayne 
attacked the British centre at Market Square, and were followed by 
the reserves ; a third, under Greene, moved by the Lime Kiln Road 
to attack the right wing of the British on the Old York Road. Arm- 
strong was unable to drive the British back from the Wissahickon 



i8o PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Sullivan threw the enemy at Market Square into confusion, and 
would doubtless have been successful had not Greene, having accom- 
plished the task given him, come up in a fog, and being mistaken for 
the enemy, caused Sullivan to retreat. Greene, being unsupported, 
fell back, and the victory was lost to the Americans. The American 
casualties were 1,157 ^^^ ^^^ British 521. Washington withdrew 
to Pennybacker's Mills, and finally entered winter quarters at Valley 
Forge December 19, where the army passed one of the most dreadful 
winters experienced by the Americans during the Revolution. 

Valley Forge. — The encampment of the American Army under 
Washington at Valley Forge, which lasted from December 19, 1777, 
to June 19, 1778, was one of the most terrible and heroic experiences 
of the Revolutionary War. Disheartened by failure, without suf- 
ficient shelter and clothing, reduced to the utmost extremity in the 
matter of food, the condition of the Americans during their enforced 
retirement in a winter of great severity was one of the utmost hard- 
ship. Opposition to Washington developed to such an extent that a 
movement was begun looking to his replacement in the command by 
Gates, who had received Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga ; for- 
tunately this eflfort did not succeed. 

Capture of the Delaware Forts. — On October 19 Howe re- 
moved his troops from Germantown and occupied Philadelphia. 
The redoubts across the northern part of the city were completed. 
The Queen's Rangers under Simcoe were at the first redoubt on the 
Delaware ; the Hessian Grenadiers were between Fifth and Seventh, 
Noble and Callowhill streets; the British Grenadiers extended to 
Broad street ; and the other divisions reached to the Schuylkill. It 
now became necessary for Howe to capture the forts which com- 
manded the Delaware, in order to establish communication with 
New York, as otherwise the British would be in a state of seige 
within the city. These forts were three in number, and consisted of 
Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island, immediately below the mouth of the 
Schuylkill on the Pennsylvania side; Fort Mercer, at Red Bank, 
almost opposite, on the Jersey side; and Billingsport, further down 
on the Jersey side. They were connected by the chevaux-de-frise, 
and, in addition, there were a number of small vessels known as the 
Pennsylvania Navy, commanded by Commodore John Hazelwood. 

Fort Billingsport, being undefendable, was abandoned by its 
commander. Col. William Bradford. By October 21 Admiral 
Howe had passed the lower chevaux-de-frise, and his ships were 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



i8i 



nearly opposite Fort Mercer at Red Bank. Count Donop, with about 
2,500 men, attacked the fort on October 22. It was defended by Col. 
Christopher Greene with 600 men, who forced the enemy to retire 




with great loss ; Count Donop was mortally wounded at the first fire. 
Meanwhile the ships had been unable to afford assistance, and were 
gallantly attacked by Hazelwood. It was the most important naval 
engagement on the Delaware. The next attack was upon Fort 



l82 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Mifflin, which was abandoned November i6, after several days of 
severe fighting. On the i8th Cornwallis moved to Chester to attack 
Fort Mercer, which was abandoned by Varnum November 20, who 
deemed defense useless. Many of the smaller vessels of the Pennsyl- 
vania Navy escaped up the river, but the larger ones were destroyed, 
including nearly all those built by Congress. The river was now 
completely in the control of the British. On December 4 Howe 
marched out of Philadelphia with most of his troops for the purpose 
of dislodging Washington from his position at Whitemarsh, but 
finding him too strongly entrenched, returned to the city without 
having accomplished anything. 




FADEN's map of the operations on the DELAWARE, I778. 

I. Howe in the "Eagle" with the "Apollo" and transports. 2. "Ca- 
mille" and "Zebra." 3. "Vigilant" and "Fury," which moved up to attack 
Fort Mifflin on Mud Island. 4. "Experiment" and transports. 5. Camp on 
November 18. 6. Wreck of "Merlin." 7. "Augusta" blown up (other ves- 
sels at 6 and 7). 8. Between American fleet here and Mud Island is the 
"upper stackadoes" (zigzags). 9. Nearer of islands off Fort Mercer is 
Woodbery Island, the other is Red Bank Island. 9. The rest of the Ameri- 
can fleet at this point. 10. Battery. 



Evacuation of Philadelphia. — The winter passed by the Brit- 
ish in Philadelphia was one of the most memorable incidents in its 
history. It was ruled by martial law, the single effort to revive the 
civil authority being the appointment of Joseph Galloway as super- 
intendent of police and of magistrates under him, all of whom, 
through Galloway, received orders from headquarters. Not before 
nor since was the city so gay, much of the time of the British officers 
and men being filled with amusements. Efforts to form loyalist regi- 
ments were only partially successful, the "Pennsylvania Loyalists," 
with William Allen, Jr., as colonel, and the "Queen's Rangers," com- 
manded by Lieut.-Col. Simcoe, being the most important. The 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



183 



festivities culminated in a famous fete called the Meschianza, held 
May 18, 1778, as a farewell to General Howe, who had been sup- 
planted in the command by Sir Henry Clinton. 

It had been apparent to the British for some time that there would 
be no further advantage in occupying Philadelphia, and the evacua- 
tion of the city had long been expected by Washington. Lafayette 




SEAL OF THE SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, I777. 

was sent across the Schuylkill to Barren Hill, to be ready to enter 
the city the moment the British had left. The day following the 
Meschianza had been set by the British for an attack on Lafayette ; 
the attempt was unsuccessful, and Lafayette withdrew to Valley 
Forge. A month later the city was evacuated by the British, on 
June 18, and General Benedict Arnold was placed in command of 
Philadelphia. Washington followed the British across New Jersey, 
and defeated them in the battle of Monmouth June 28, 1778. 



i84 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Philadelphia was in a shocking condition after the withdrawal 
of the British. The city had experienced much injury; there was no 
government ; and there was an intense feeling of hatred towards the 
Tories of every degree, which culminated in the hanging of two men, 
Abraham Carlisle and John Roberts, for treason. Arnold grew 
rich and was court-martialed, but escaped with a reprimand. The 
currency depreciated, and many of the better citizens were viewed 
as dangerous and were subjected to riotous treatment by the mob. 
The Constitutionalists came into power and drove from office the 
better men who had formerly dominated affairs in the city. 

Pennsylvania Troops in the Revolution. — Two companies 
of men from Cumberland and Lancaster counties, started with Arnold 
from Boston, September ii, 1775, in his campaign against Quebec; 
they were taken prisoners in the assault on the city on December 31. 
The reinforcements sent to Canada in the spring of 1776 included four 
regiments or battalions from Pennsylvania, the First, Second, Fourth 
and Sixth, with Nelson's Independent Company of Riflemen. In 
the defeat at Three Rivers the Americans were represented by the 
Pennsylvania troops, the Second and Sixth battalions, three com- 
panies of the Fourth and two of the First, together with a small New 
Jersey battalion. Four regiments from Pennsylvania returned with 
the American Army in its retreat to Ticonderoga; they numbered 
about half the entire force. 

April 12, 1777, Washington directed Wayne to join him at 
Morristown and take command of a brigade of troops called the 
Pennsylvania Line. Of Washington's army of 7,389 men, 2,063 were 
Pennsylvanians. These included Col. Hand's regiment of riflemen, 
the Third and Fourth battalions, many militia from the Flying 
Camp, Col. Miles's Rifle Regiment of two battalions, Col. Atlee's 
Musketry Battalion, Lieut.-Col. Lutz's battalion from Berks County, 
and Lieut.-Col. Kachlein's battalion from Northampton County. All 
these troops were engaged with Washington in the battle of Long 
Island, and on his withdrawal from Brooklyn the Pennsylvania 
regiments commanded by Hand, Magaw and Shee, with fragments 
of a Delaware regiment, were assigned the duty of covering the 
retreat. 

Pennsylvania contributed thirteen regiments of the line in the 
opening of the Revolutionary War. The First and Second regi- 
ments were formed on the First Battalion of Riflemen ; the Third on 
the Second Battalion ; the Fourth on the Third ; the Fifth on the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 185 

Fourth (Col. Wayne's) ; the Sixth on the Fifth (Col. Magaw's) ; 
the Seventh on the Sixth (Col. Irvine's) ; the Eighth was a regi- 
ment raised on the western frontier in Westmoreland and Bedford 
counties; the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth were raised by 
authority of Congress, September 16, 1776; the Thirteenth was the 



G^^^^=v^^y^^ 






^^^^s-^^^^-T-v.-^C- 



State Regiment of Foot, taken into continental service November 12, 
1777. Other troops included Col. Thomas Hartley's and Col. John 
Patton's regiments; the New Eleventh Pennsylvania, organized by 
Congress in 1779; the German Regiment, organized June 27, 1776; 
the Corps of Ottendorff or Armand's Legion; "Congress' Own" 
(Col. Moses Hazen), authorized by Congress, January, 1776, for 
Canadian service, contained many Pennsylvanians ; and a cavalry 
regiment commanded by Col. Stephen Moylan. In 1781 the thir- 
teen regiments of the Pennsylvania Line were consolidated into six. 
A Board of War was created by warrant of the Supreme Executive 
Council dated March 13, 1777. It was composed of David Ritten- 
house, Owen Biddle, William Moore, Joseph Dean, Samuel Morris, 
Samuel Cadwalader Morris, John Bayard, George Gray and John 
Bull. It ceased to hold office August 7, 1777, by an order of Council 
dated the day before. 

Fort Washington on the Hudson, when attacked by the British, 
was almost wholly garrisoned by Pennsylvania troops, and was 
under the command of Col. Magaw ; it surrendered after a brave re- 
sistance. Col. Hand's regiment took part in the battle of Trenton, to- 
gether with Capt. Forrest's Company of Proctor's Pennsylvania 
Artillery of six pieces. A large number participated in the battle 
of Princeton, including Col. Hand's regiment, Capt. Forrest's bat- 
tery, Capt. Moulder's battery of two pieces, the City Troop of Phila- 
delphia, several associated battalions and Haussegger's German 
battalion. Nearly all the Pennsylvania troops were engaged in the 
battle of the Brandywine. 

In the winter of 1778-9 the troops of the Pennsylvania Line, 
encamped at Middlebrook, N. J., suffered severely through want of 
food and clothing, their wages being paid in money of nominal value. 
Anthony Wayne had been commander of the Pennsylvania Line, but 



i86 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 







PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 187 

had retired ; Washington induced him to assume command of a new 
light infantry corps, which included two Pennsylvania brigades, for 
the purpose of capturing Stony Point on the Hudson. This was 
taken on the night of July 15, 1779, in an engagement which ranks 
among the most remarkable of the Revolution. Towards the close 
of 1780 the men of the Pennsylvania Line became so dissatisfied 
with their treatment and poor pay that they threatened to march to 
Philadelphia and compel Congress to redress their wrongs. Janu- 
ary I, 1 78 1, they revolted, and moved towards Philadelphia. Presi- 
dent Reed met them at Princeton, and the matters in dispute were 
satisfactorily adjusted. About 2,400 men were concerned in this 
mutiny, and of these 1,250 accepted a discharge, almost dissolving 
the Line. In June, 1783, the soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line, 
wearied with delays in the settlement of their claim for payment 
on the dispersal of the troops preparatory to disenrolment, repaired 
to Philadelphia with the intention of asking justice of Congress. 
Their demands were so preemptory that Congress withdrew to 
Princeton, N. J., and afterwards adjourned to Annapolis, Md. Sev- 
eral of the leaders of the mutiny were court-martialed, but all ad- 
judged guilty were afterwards pardoned by Congress. 

PENNSYLVANIA TROOPS, 1775 TO 17S3. 

1775- 1776. 1777- 1778. 1779- 1780. 17S1. 1782. 1783. 

First Battalion . . 600 

Pennsylvania 

navy 398 2,190 1,500 480 250 280 195 217 

Associators 5,000 25,000 

Battalions and 

line 6,000 7,800 1,200 

Privateers and 

Continental 

navy 1,137 SU i,3i4 4,665 2,809 4,322 1,953 

State Regiments 

and Militia 6,000 2,500 1,500 1,500 1,260 1375 450 450 

Rangers on the 

frontier 7,500 7,500 3,420 4,400 3,080 2,640 1,760 

7 months' men 1,800 375 600 

18 months' men 720 

Recruits "during 

the war" 1,230 

Re-enlistments i,350 700 

Recruits for 

Southern 

army 550 

Totals 5,998 40,327 19,814 14,514 11,440 10,699 9,672 5,810 2,210 

Grand total 120,484 



i88 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

50. After the Revolution. — The years that followed the 
treaty of peace, in 1783, formed a period of reconstruction and settle- 
ment. Pennsylvania emerged from the Revolution a sovereign 
State, freed from its proprietary control and with the Quaker and 
peaceful party that had so long dominated its politics reduced to a 
social force only. The general irresponsibility that seems to have 
gained control in the State is well shown in the cancellation of the 
charter of the College of Philadelphia, presided over by Provost 
William Smith, and the giving of its property to a new institution, 
called the University of the State of Pennsylvania. In 1789 it was 
revived, and a little later joined with the new institution to form 
the present University of Pennsylvania. 

In 1780 the Pennsylvania Bank was founded, and chartered by 
Congress, but wound up its affairs in 1784. In 1781 the Bank of 
North America was chartered by the State Assembly, but it with- 
drew its charter in 1785, though granting a re-charter two years 
later. 

The convention to frame a national constitution was held in the 
State House in Philadelphia from May to September, 1787. On 
September 17 it was sent to Congress, with a letter from Washing- 
ton, to be transmitted to the States. It was read before the Assembly 
of Pennsylvania, then sitting in the State House immediately below 
the Constitutional Convention, on September 18. A convention was 
called to ratify or reject it, and on December 12, 1787, the follow- 
ing resolution was adopted : — 

RATIFICATION. 

In the Name of the People of Pennsylvania : 

BE it known unto all men — That, we the delegates of 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in general convention 
assembled, have assented to and ratified, and by these pres- 
ents do, in the name and the authority of the same people, 
and for ourselves, assent to and ratify the foregoing con- 
stitution for the United States of America. 

Done in convention the 12th day of December, in the 
year 1787 and of the Independence of the United States of 
America the twelfth. 

In witness whereof, etc. 

The vote was 46 in favor of ratification and 23 against. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 189 

51. The Pennsylvania Navy. — The attention of the Com- 
mittee of Safety was drawn to the defense of the Delaware River 
as early as July 4, 1775. Proposals for boats were immediately 
asked for, and the first one, the "Experiment," was launched from 
the yard of John Wharton on July 19. It was the beginning of the 
Pennsylvania State Navy, and antedated the first legislation of Con- 
gress (October 13, 1775), on the subject of a navy by three months. 
A return of August i, 1776, gives the number of vessels as 27 — in- 
cluding ten fire rafts, two floating batteries, a ship of war, a fire sloop 
and six guard-boats — and the number of men in naval service as 768. 
The river was further protected by the chevaux-de-frise, sunk be- 
low the mouth of the Schuylkill, Many officers of the Pennsylvania 
navy subsequently resigned to enter the more active continental 
service. 

January 13, 1776, Andrew Caldwell was appointed Commander- 
in-Chief of the fleet. Captain Thomas Read received the appoint- 
ment of Commodore October 23, 1775, and was the first officer of 
that rank in the naval forces of America. The first battle of the 
Pennsylvania navy occurred on May 8, 1776, when it engaged with 
the British frigate "Roebuck" and the sloop "Liverpool." As the 
result of the conflict the British vessels returned to Cape May, where 
they organized invasions of the neighboring shores. In December, 
1776, the Pennsylvania navy helped to transport Washington's army 
across the Delaware, and the marines commanded by Captain Wil- 
liam Brown took part in the battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, 
and remained attached to the army until January 23. 

February 13, 1777, the Supreme Executive Council created a 
Navy Board, composed of Andrew Caldwell, Joseph Blewer, Joseph 
Marsh, Emanuel Eyre, Paul Cox and Robert Ritchie; February 
19 William Pollard, Samuel Massey, Thomas Barclay and William 
Bradford were added to the first appointees. The minutes of the 
Board to September 24, 1777, have been preserved. The State navy 
was active in the engagements before the Delaware forts, and 
wintered in various places on the river, the Navy Board holding its 
sessions at Trenton, Bordentown and other convenient points. The 
galleys, shallops and brig forming the navy were dismantled and 
sunk in April, 1778, in compliance with the orders of Washington 
and were raised in June in anticipation of the evacuation of Phila- 
delphia. 



I go 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



August 17, 1778, the Navy Board was dismissed, the number 
of vessels in commission was reduced, and many officers discharged 
March 25, 1779, the officers, seamen and marines in the naval ser- 
vice of the State were, by resolution of the General Assembly, de- 
clared entitled to all the benefits of the officers and soldiers of the 
State employed in the U. S. Army. All the officers and men 
were discharged November 25. A few remaining were discharged 
February 13, 1781. The last man discharged was Captain Nathan 
Boys, December 20, 1781. 




THE WATCHMAN. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 191 

CHAPTER X. 
The Land, Money and Credit, Taxation, Industries, Ways of 

Communication. 

52. The Division of the Land. — Penn was the largest 
landowner in the world, possessing by royal grant 47,000,000 acres, 
and empowered to grant it to others in any way he saw fit. Three 
general divisions of the land were made by him and his sons: (i), 
the common land, generally sold at uniform prices; (2), the pro- 
prietary tenths or manors, reserved and held by the proprietors 
jointly, usually consisting of one-tenth of the best land in a given 
tract; and (3), the private estates of the individual proprietors, ob- 
tained by purchase one from another, or from previous purchasers in 
the Province. 

Penn's first proposal to sell land, issued in England, included 
shares, called "a. property," of 5,000 acres, free of Indian incum- 
brances, for iioo; a quit-rent of i shilling per 100 acres was to be 
imposed after 1684. Large tracts were sold to persons residing in 
England; every one who purchased or leased 500 acres was to re- 
ceive 10 acres in the city it was proposed to establish if space would 
permit. The lands included in the first purchases were not located 
or surveyed at the time of the grant, and the deeds were not always 
recorded, a practice that created defective titles from the outset. All 
land was to be appropriated or settled within three years after being 
surveyed, or it might be given to others. 

The general price for land before 1713 was £$ per 100 acres 
with I shilling quit-rent ; soon after it became iio per 100 acres. 
After 1719 it was iio per 100 acres and 2 shillings quit-rent. After 
1732 it was ii5 10 shillings currency per 100 acres and a quit-rent of 
a half penny sterling per acre. After 1765 the price was £5 sterling 
per 100 acres, with a quit-rent of i penny sterling. Some lands 
were sold at higher prices. 

The land office had charge of the administration of territorial 
affairs. It consisted of a secretary, who was also the secretary of 
the Province, a surveyor general and from three to five commis- 
sioners of property. The keeper of the great seal and the master 
of the rolls were associated with the commissioners. After 1746 



192 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

the keeper of the great seal was the receiver general, an office in- 
stituted in 1689, previous to v^^hich date it had been filled by 
the commissioners. As the population increased deputy receivers 
were appointed in the various counties. From 1741 on the Governor 
received two commissions, one relating to governmental matters and 
one to territorial affairs. In the latter he was empowered to grant 
lands by warrants issued by the secretary under the seal of the land 
office. In the same year special agents were appointed by the Penns 
to manage their manors and private estates. A board of property 
was formed in 1765 to administer territorial affairs. It was com- 
posed of the Governor, the Secretary, the Surveyor General and the 
Receiver General. The Auditor General was added to it in 1769, 

For many years territorial affairs were in great confusion. 
Penn's own views appear never to have been definitely stated. His 
long absences from the Province, the lack of method in recording 
sales and transfers and the loose system of administration opened 
the way to frauds and disputes that lasted almost throughout the 
entire time of the proprietary control. The system of quit-rents 
failed to work as easily as Penn had hoped it would, and was an 
additional cause of annoyance and complaint. It was not until 1742 
that a regular rent roll was undertaken, and it was only between 
1770 and the Revolution that the proprietors met with little diffi- 
culty in collecting the quit-rent. 

A new class of complications arose with the settlement of the 
frontier regions by the Scotch-Irish and Germans, many of whom 
located themselves on lands from which the Indian rights had not 
been extinguished, and for which they had made no formal applica- 
tion of purchase from the Penns. It was found impracticable to 
prevent the occupation of the frontier lands by squatters, and as 
the Province developed much land was taken up by speculators with- 
out due authority. In 1765 the proprietors introduced a new system, 
termed the "application system," which it was hoped would regulate 
these evils. Warrants were not, under this system, granted at once, 
but the application was recorded and the survey made within six 
months. Warrants were then issued within six months of the return 
on full payment for the land and interest from six months after the 
application to the time of payment. 

Penn's intention was to preserve one-fifth of his land in its 
natural condition. When opened to settlement the valleys were first 
chosen as offering the richest and most productive soil. The clearing 




Ma 



\p OF THE Certified Townships. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



193 




194 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. • 

of the trees and underbrush was the first task. The Germans accom- 
plished this more thoroughly than the other settlers, though they 
preferred land which contained a large quantity of meadow. Many 
of the early settlers moved further into the wilderness as the land 
filled up around them, as many as four consecutive farms being 
cleared by a single settler. The first crops were exceedingly abun- 
dant, but it was soon found necessary to take up new land or apply 
fertilizers. 

The Divesting Act vested the estates of the proprietors in 
the Commonwealth, The private estates of the proprietors, and the 
tenths or manors of which surveys had been returned before July 4, 
1776, with the quit-rents and arrears, were confirmed to their owners, 
and the sum of £130,000 voted to the claimants and legatees of 
Thomas and Richard Penn. A law of April 9, 1791, provided for 
the final payment of this debt. The Penn family still retains some 
small pieces of property in Pennsylvania, including some ground 
rents in Philadelphia. 

Practically all public land in Pennsylvania has now been dis- 
posed of; small unappropriated tracts are discovered from time to 
time, and warrants for such vacant lands may be obtained under 
certain conditions. The land office is now a bureau of the office of 
the Secretary of Internal Affairs. This bureau contains the records 
of the first titles acquired by the proprietaries and the Commonwealth 
to all land within the State limits ; the records of all grants and con- 
veyances from the proprietaries and the State to the purchasers of 
land ; the papers relating to the surveys of the State and county lines. 
State and turnpike roads; the reports of the organization of the 
different counties; the charters, maps and other papers pertaining 
to the colonial history of Pennsylvania ; the records of the Pennsyl- 
vania commissioners relative to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876; 
and the reports and investigations made relative to the State boun- 
dary monuments. 

53. Depreciation n < s. — December 18, 1780, the General 
Assembly passed the first act adopted by that body looking to a 
settlement on a gold and silver basis of the depreciation in the pay 
of the officers and enlisted men in the Federal Army, known as the 
Pennsylvania Line. Certificates were authorized specifying the sums 
due in specie, which were to be received and considered as equal to 
specie in payment for certain lands designated to be sold and paid for 
with them. These lands consisted of the estates of persons at- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



195 



NEW YORK 




f^ \ 



MAP OF THE DONATION LANDS. 



196 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

tainted with treason and of unlocated lands. A scale of deprecia- 
tion was included in the act, beginning with a rate of 13^ for Janu- 
ary, 1777, and increasing to 643^ to i for July, 1780. 

March 12, 1783, a further act was passed providing for the sale 
of certain lands for the purpose of redeeming and paying the cer- 
tificates of depreciation given to the officers and men of the Pennsyl- 
vania Line or their representatives, and setting aside a tract between 
the Ohio and Allegheny rivers to be disposed of in this way, and 
which was known as the Depreciation Lands. It comprised an 
area of 1125 square miles, including parts of the present counties 
of Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver and Lawrence. Reserva- 
tions were made at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela 
rivers on the site of Allegheny City, and at Fort Mcintosh, now 
Beaver. Indian title to these and other lands within the territory 
acknowledged as within the State limits was not extinguished until 
January, 1785. The tract was divided into five districts and surveys 
were begun in the summer of 1785 and completed July, 1789. The 
act provided for the sale of the lots in numerical order, and the first 
sale was held at auction in 1785, November 21 and 23, and the last 
sale in March, 1787. The act of April 4, 1792, opened the unsold 
lands to settlement and improvement together with other vacant 
lands within the Commonwealth. 

54. Donation Lands. — The Donation Lands of Pennsyl- 
vania originated in an act of the Assembly of March 7, 1780, setting 
apart "certain donations and quantities of land" for the soldiers of 
the Pennsylvania Line, to be "surveyed and divided off" at the end 
of the war. An Act of March 23, 1783, extinguished all right and 
title to these lands save for the purpose indicated in it, and set aside 
parts of the present counties of Lawrence, Butler, Armstrong, Ven- 
ango, Forest and Warren, all of Mercer and Crawford counties, and 
Erie County south of the triangle. In this and in later acts pro- 
vision was made for the distribution of the land, which was divided 
into ten districts for survey purposes, numbered consecutively from 
the line separating them from the Depreciation Lands. 

The lands were awarded by lot, beginning October i, 1786, and 
various extensions of time within which application must be made 
were made until April i, 18 10, which was the final date for receiving 
applications. After the assignment of lots it was found that, in some 
cases, they had been located in the State of New York, and several 
acts of the Assembly were passed to correct these errors and pro- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



197 




198 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

vide for the holders of the lots within the State. Lots unassigned by 
April I, 1810, were, by legislative provision, sold under special con- 
ditions until March 31, 1845, when their price and conditions of sale 
were made identical with other vacant lands in the same region. 

The Struck District comprised certain lots near the Allegheny 
River in Butler County which were considered unsuited for cultiva- 
tion; their numbers were stricken from the list of lots to be drawn 
from and were not placed in the wheel until after the passage of the 
act of April 2, 1802. An act of March 25, 1805, directed that the 
numbers of these lots be withdrawn from the wheel, and those un- 
drawn became a part of the unappropriated lands, open to sale and 
settlement. 

55. Westsylvania. — The "Province and Government of West- 
sylvania" was a proposal made by the settlers in the southwest of 
Pennsylvania and the adjacent territory for the creation of a new 
State. It originated in connection with the troubles between Vir- 
ginia and Pennsylvania, and the scheme was brought forward early 
in July, 1776. A description of the proposed government defines the 
bounds as "beginning at the Eastern Branch of the Ohio opposite the 
mouth of the Scioto, & running thence in a direct line to the 
Owasioto Pass, thence to the top of the Allegheny Mountain, thence 
with the top of the said Mountain to the Northern Limits of the 
Purchase made from the Indians in 1768, at the treaty of Fort Stan- 
wix aforesaid, thence with the said limits to the Allegheny or Ohio 
River, and thence down the said River as purchased from the said 
Indians at the aforesaid Treaty of Fort Stanwix to the Beginning." 
A call for a convention to organize the government was issued, but 
a memorial of the Virginia committee of West Augusta County to 
the Lower House of Assembly led to the abandonment of the plan. 
Most of the proposed State was outside the limits of Pennsylvania. 

56. Reservations in the Northwest. — The act of March 12, 
1783, providing for the Depreciation Lands, created two reservations 
for the use of the State. One included "3000 acres, in an oblong 
of not less than one mile in depth from the Allegheny and Ohio 
Rivers, and extending up and down the said Rivers, from opposite 
Fort Pitt, so far as necessary to include the same." A town that 
subsequently grew into the city of Allegheny was laid out on this 
tract under a law of September 11, 1787, and the proceeds of the 
sale devoted to paying the debts of the State. May 5, 1789, 312 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



199 




200 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

acres of the tract, not divided into town lots, were patented to James 
O'Harra. 

Another reservation was established of "3000 acres on the 
Ohio and on both sides of Beaver Creek, including Fort Mcin- 
tosh," An act of September 28, 1791, directed that 200 acres of this 
area be surveyed into town lots, together with 1000 acres adjoining 
on the upper side into out lots. The survey was authorized by act 
of March, 1793, and the Governor authorized to proceed with the 
sale ; the town was called Beaver-town, and is now known as Beaver. 

The towns of Erie, Franklin, Waterford and Warren were es- 
tablished by an act of April 18, 1795. An act of April 11, 1799, pro- 
vided for the survey of the reserved tracts adjoining these towns 
into lots. 

The smaller reservation in the Erie triangle, of 2000 acres, was 
donated to General William Irvine by act of Legislature to idemnify 
him for the loss of Montour's Island (now Neville Island) in the 
Ohio River below Pittsburg. He held this under a Pennsylvania 
patent, but had been divested of his rights by the Supreme Court 
of the United States in a suit for ejectment brought against him by 
a holder of a Virginia patent, and which the court deemed valid 
under the boundary settlement. 

57. Manors. — Strictly speaking, no manors were actually es- 
tablished in Pennsylvania, although the right to erect them was 
given to Penn in the charter. Several warrants were issued creating 
manors, but none of these tracts were developed as manors, and no 
manorial courts appear to have been created. The proprietary tenths 
were frequently designated as manors as well as some other large 
tracts, but they were manors in name only. 

58. The Certified Townships. — The Certified Townships 
were the original seventeen townships in the old County of Luzerne 
settled by the Connecticut settlers ; Athens was added to the list, 
making eighteen in all. They were certified to the Connecticut set- 
tlers in the act of 1799 passed for the adjustment of the claims of 
Pennsylvania and Connecticut and Pennsylvania settlers in the 
Wyoming region, and by which the titles of the Connecticut settlers 
were confirmed by the payment of small amounts per acre for their 
land. They comprised the townships of Braintrim, Putnam and 
Northmoreland in Wyoming County ; Exeter, Providence, Pitts- 
ton, Wilkesbarre, Hanover, Newport, Salem, Huntington, Bedford, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 201 

Plymouth and Kingston in Luzerne County ; and Springfield, 
Claversack, Ulster and Athens in Bradford County. 

59. Money and Credit. — The earliest current pay in the 
Province was flax, hemp, linen and woolen cloth and other products 
of the country. Laws of 1683 and 1693 provided that wheat and 
other grains, hemp, flax, pork and tobacco should be current pay at 
the market price. The tendency of money was towards England, 
due to the unfavorable balance of trade with that country, and the 
supply of coin was extremely scant. The rate of sterling exchange 
was advanced 25 per cent, in 1683, while New England money was 
quoted at par. Pieces of eight were to pass for 6 shillings, Peru 
pieces for 5s. 8d., "Caroluses" and "Jacobuses" for 30 and 32 shil- 
lings, respectively, Spanish pistoles for 20 shillings, ducats at lis. 
6d. Provision was made for deductions for broken or debased coin 
in 1683, and in 1698 the sterling rate was again increased. A proc- 
lamation by Queen Anne, June 18, 1704, confirmed by the Assembly 
in 1708, fixed the rates of foreign coins in the colonies. 

The first act of the xA.ssembly for the issue of paper money was 
enacted under Governor Keith and was dated March 2, 1723. It 
was for £15,000, to be loaned for eight years at five per cent., secured 
by mortgages in fee simple estates or ground rents, or for one year 
in plate. It was to be loaned in amounts not less than £12 los., or 
more than £100, and was to be repaid in annual installments of one- 
eighth in current money or bills of credit. 

Many bills followed for the issue of paper money, including a 
number of reissues and issues for the exchange of ragged and torn 
notes. For a time the interest on the bills of credit was sufficient to 
meet the expenses of the government without the levying of taxes. 
Up to 1746 the issues were based on reliable securities. Pennsyl- 
vania bills were sought in other colonies and the financial condition 
of the Province had greatly prospered through the conservatism that 
had been used in providing it. Larger sums were, however, being 
constantly needed for Provincial expenses, and the later issues were 
made on less definite security. 

In 1766 some Philadelphia merchants formed an association for 
the issue of promissary notes, amounting to £20,000, in denomina- 
tions of £5, payable on demand with 5 per cent, interest ; but as the 
Assembly declared the eflfect of such an issue to be injurious to the 
credit of the Provincial currency they were withdrawn. After the 
battle of Lexington several issues were emitted by resolution of the 



202 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Assembly without reference to the Governor. These issues (June 
30. 1775; November 18, 1775, and April 8, 1776), were called 
resolve money. The authority of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
vania appears for the first time in the issues of March 20, 1777. 

In January, 1777, a Pennsylvania law declared the notes issued 
by Congress to be a legal tender. March 23, 1778, the Assembly 
voted that all notes issued prior to April 17, 1775, should not be legal 
tender after June i, and provision was made for their reception for 
taxes and for exchange with other issues. The issue of June i, 1780, 
for $1,250,000 was made in compliance with the request of Con- 
gress (March 18) that the States should contribute a certain pro- 
portion towards the support of the general government. In June, 
1781, it was voted that the old continental and resolve money should 
be no longer legal tender and be received at the treasury- only at their 
current value. An act of December 4, 1789, provided that the re- 
solve money and the issue of 1777 should not be received by the 
treasury after January i, 1791. The last legislation of the State on 
the issue of money is dated April 4, 1805, and provided that all bills 
outstanding and not paid into the treasury before the second Tuesday 
in January, 1806, should be forever irredeemable. 

The total amount of bills of credit issued by Pennsylvania in 
the colonial period was upwards of £950,000. 

Relief Notes were bills of small denominations issued by banks 
during the financial difficulties which culminated about 1837, and 
loaned to the State and made redeemable in lots of $100 in State 
stock. About $2,000,000 were issued and were redeemed at the 
rate of about $200,000 per year. 

Public loans have been issued by the Commonwealth for vari- 
ous purposes. The earliest was dated April 22, 1821, and consisted 
of $1,000,000 for expenses and other purposes. Other loans were 
for the continuance of the Pennsylvania Canal and Railroad (De- 
cember 18, 1828, $800,000; April 29, 1844, $60,643.72) ; canal and 
railroad (April 22, 1829, $2,200,000; March 21, 1831, $2,483,161.88; 
March 30, 1832, $2,348,680; April 13, 1835, $1,959,600; July 19, 
1839, $2,054,000) ; interest and internal improvements (January 26, 
1839, $1,200,000) ; to pay maturing loans (March 27, 1839, $470,- 
000; June 27, 1839, $iji50>ooo) > interest and temporary loans (Janu- 
ary 23, 1840, $870,000) ; for resumption of specie payments (April 
3, 1840, $927,010) ; for improvement of State and interest (June 
II, 1840, $1,957,362.15) ; for regulating banks, etc. (May 5, 1841, 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 203 

$575,737.50) ; relief loan (May 4, 1841) ; interest certificates (July 
27, 1842; March 7, 1843; May 31, 1844) ; expenses and repairs of 
canal, etc. (April 16, 1845, $4,476,572.09) ; arming the State (May 
15, 1 86 1, $3,000,000). Two acts of June 8, 1881, provided for an 
issue of $9,450,000 in registered State bonds, 30 years, about half of 
which are now outstanding, for the redemption of maturing loans. 
Only small amounts of the earlier bond issues are now outstanding. 

60. Taxation. — The "Laws agreed upon in England'' pro- 
vided that nothing should be raised or paid as a public tax except by 
a law for that purpose. The "Great Law" of 1682 further provided 
that no tax be levied except by a law "for that purpose made by the 
Governor and freemen" of the Province, and unless it continued for 
no longer than "the space of one whole year." The Royal Charter 
provided that Parliament might levy a tax without the consent of the 
"Proprietary or chief Governor and Assembly." 

In 1693 it was enacted that the County Court should be em- 
powered to "assess and lay such taxes upon the county" as should 
defray its expenses, "so that it be equal and proportionate." One- 
half was to be raised from land, and the other half by poll; non- 
residents were to pay one-half more than residents. 

In 1693 a law was enacted to provide funds to meet "the neces- 
sary charges in each county for the support of the poor, building of 
prisons, or repairing them, paying the salary belonging to the As- 
sembly, paying for wolves' heads, the judges' expenses and many 
other necessary charges." Yearly or oftener, as required, the county 
court should estimate the expenses of the county and make the proper 
assessments. The Grand Jury might also present any sum neces- 
sary to be raised. 

In 1696 it was enacted that the County Court and Grand Jury, 
with any three of six assessors to be elected by the freemen of the 
county, "should calculate the public charge of the county and allow 
all just debts, dues and accounts." 

In 1 71 5 three commissioners were named for each county in a 
law enacted by the Assembly. They were to order the sheriff to 
summon the six assessors to meet them when the sessions of the 
County Court were held. They were to issue warrants to the con- 
stables of the townships to bring to the assessors the names of the 
residents and a statement of their property. They alone had the 
right to hear and determine appeals. Collectors appointed by the 
assessors were to render accounts to the Provincial treasurer. The 



204 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

uses to which the money was to be put were distinctly stated and the 
right of appropriation by the Assembly alone asserted. The com- 
missioners were made elective in 1724 and made amenable to the 
county courts. In 1732 their tenure of office was limited to three 
years, and they and the assessors were directed to render yearly 
accounts to the county court and the Grand Jury. 

The first Provincial tax bill was prepared in 1693. Other bills 
were passed in 1696, 1699, i7oo> i705» 1715 ^nd ^1^7- I^or many 
years no taxes were levied in Pennsylvania, the expenses of the gov- 
ernment being met from the interest on the bills of credit. Various 
attempts, in 1684, 1738, 1744 and 1772, were made to collect a rev- 
enue from the excise, but the laws were so unpopular that, as a rule, 
they remained in force only a few months. It was not until the 
Revolution that any considerable revenue was obtained from this 
source. 

The earlier enactments authorized the Governor and Council to 
expend the sums voted, but they were required to account to the 
Assembly for them. After 171 5 the Assembly assumed the power 
of disposing of the public money. In 1754 it was provided that com- 
missioners, usually seven in number, and named in the act, should 
"with the consent of the Governor dispose of the money in support- 
ing troops, in giving supplies to distressed settlers, etc." In acts 
passed between 1755 and 1762 "the Governor's participation in the 
disposal of the money is distinctly affirmed, but in cases where a 
surplus existed the Assembly assumed sole power of expending it." 

The present income of the State is obtained from fees for 
granting charters ; from taxes on the capital stock of corporations 
and associations, on loans created by corporations, on gross receipts 
of transportation and electric light companies, on premiums re- 
ceived by insurance companies, on the net earnings of brokers, pri- 
vate banks and savings institutions ; from the sale of State lands, 
licenses, fines, penalties, interest on government bonds owned by the 
State, from the State tax on personal property, from the collateral 
inheritance tax, from escheats and sundry other sources. 

61. Industrial Development. — The industrial development of 
Pennsylvania, which has grown to mammoth proportions, had its 
origin in efforts to supply the people of the Province with the sim- 
plest necessities of life. A grist mill was built by Johan Printz on 
Cobb's Creek in 1643, and was the first mill built in Pennsylvania. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



205 



"Robert's Mill," Germantown, was built about 1683 ; another at 
Chester for Penn and some associates, in 1699; Thomas Parsons 
built a mill at Frankford in 1695 ; "Governor's Mill" was built for 
William Penn in Northern Liberties, on Cohocksink Creek in 1700- 
1702. Flour mills and saw mills appear to have been the earliest in- 
dustries. In 1683 Penn wrote from Philadelphia, "Some vessels 
have been built here and many boats"; between 1719 and 1725 the 
clearances at the city averaged 119 sail annually; by 1748-49 they 
had increased to nearly 300. 




VANE ON PUSEY's MILL, 1699. WILLIAM PENN, SAMUEL 
CARPENTER, CALEB PUSEY. 



The first paper mill was built near the Wissahickon by William 
Ryttinghuisen or Rittenhouse in 1690. A letter of William Penn's, 
written in 1683, mentions the making of iron in Pennsylvania, but 
it was not until 1716 that iron works were first successfully estab- 
lished in the Province ; this was a bloomary forge, erected by Thomas 
Rutter on Manatawny Creek in Berks County near Pottstown, and 
known as "Pool Forge." Coventry Forge, Chester County, was be- 
gun by Samuel Nutt about 171 8; Colebrookdale furnace, near Boy- 
ertown, Berks County, was started in 1720; iron works are said to 



2o6 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

have been established in Lancaster County in 1726; in 1728-29, 274 
tons of pig iron were exported to England. The first furnace west 
of the Alleghany Mountains was built by William Turnbull and 
Peter Marmie on Jacob's Creek, Fayette County, and was first blown 
in 1790. The first iron furnace in Pittsburg was built at Shady Side 
in 1792 by George Anshutz, but it was soon abandoned and pig 
iron was not again made in Pittsburg until 1859. Cannon and 
guns were made in Pennsylvania during the Revolution, but great 
difficulty existed in obtaining proper and sufficient ammunition. The 
early furnaces were charcoal furnaces ; the introduction of anthracite 
and bituminous coal in the blast furnaces about 1840 revolutionized 
the iron industry and greatly accelerated its development. Owing 
to the increased use of bituminous fuel and the employment of iron 
ore from the Lake Superior region, the localization of the iron in- 
dustry in Pennsylvania has, in recent years, been centred in the 
western part of the State, especially in the Pittsburg district, where 
the blast furnaces are in close proximity to the Connellsville coke. 

The manufacture of steel was attempted as early as 1750, but 
it was not until i860 that crucible steel of the highest grade was made 
in Pittsburg as a regular product. The manufacture of Bessemer 
steel was begun in 1867 at Steelton, Dauphin County. During the 
last fifteen years the most characteristic development of the steel 
industry in Pennsylvania has been the increased importance of the 
open-hearth as compared with the Bessemer process. 

The textile industries were also of early origin. The Swedes 
hoped to export wool to Sweden. The Germans were especially in- 
dustrious in manufacturing linen and hosiery, and flax and hemp 
were largely cultivated by them and by the Scotch-Irish. A joint 
stock company to manufacture cotton goods was organized in Phila- 
delphia in 1775 — perhaps the first company of this description in 
America. Felt-making was also an important early industry and 
tanned leather was included among the exports from Philadelphia 
in 1721. 

William Bradford set up the first printing press, the first in the 
colonies outside Massachusetts, in Philadelphia at Shackamaxon, 
now Kensington, in 1685, and in that year the first book printed in 
the middle colonies was issued. Glass was manufactured at Man- 
heim, Lancaster County, in 1762 by Baron William Henry Stiegel 
in conjunction with his iron furnaces. Three potteries were in 
operation in Lancaster in 1786. About 1797 Albert Gallatin, who 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 207 

had purchased land on the Monongahela, established glass works 
at New Geneva. Anthracite coal was first used for smith's work 
by Obediah Gore in Wyoming in 1769, although the Connecticut 
settlers had discovered its existence as early as 1762. The Lehigh 
Coal Mining Company originated in 1792, one year after coal had 
been found at Mauch Chunk; in 1808 Judge Fell first used it in a 
grate in Wilkesbarre ; it was first brought to Philadelphia by George 
Shoemaker; and was first analyzed and its combustible qualities de- 
termined by an English chemist in Philadelphia in 1812. 

The industrial development of Pennsylvania throughout the 
Provincial period was thriving and varied. The industries were 
numerous and the people industrious. Their prosperity, however, 
was seriously injured during the French and Indian wars, when 
the manufacturing resources of the Province were first clearly made 
known to the British Government. The efforts at suppression that 
followed and the means of retaliation adopted by the colonists had 
harmful results. The resources of the colonists were, moreover, 
quite inadequate to cope with the difficulties and conditions brought 
about by the Revolutionary War. Ammunition, food, clothing were 
all scarce and dear during that time, and it was not until the prob- 
lems brought forward by that conflict had been fully settled that 
Pennsylvania entered upon the marvelous industrial career that has 
been so overwhelmingly successful. 

The national census of 1900 shows that Pennsylvania stands 
first among the States in the manufacture of iron and steel, carpets, 
locomotives, tin and terne plate, tanning and currying and finishing 
leather, iron and steel shipbuilding, car building, glass, petroleum 
refining and coke; it stands second in the manufacture of textiles, 
silk, woolen goods, hosiery and knit goods, metal-working and pump- 
ing machinery, printing and publishing, railroad car construction 
and malt liquors ; it is third in the manufacture of worsted goods ; 
fourth in lumber and paper and wood pulp ; fifth in cotton goods, the 
factory manufacture of boots and shoes, and cheese, butter and con- 
densed milk ; it is sixth in the manufacture of leaf tobacco ; twelfth 
in the production of wheat and thirteenth in the production of corn. 

The following table gives the number of establishments in the 
classified industries and the value of their products by the same 
census : — 



2o8 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

PENNSYLVANIA INDUSTRIES, 1900. 

Value 

Industry. Number. of products. 

Agriculture 244,948 $207,895,600 

Manufactures 52,185 1,834,790,860 

Tin plate 25 12,530,991 

Iron and steel 1,102 158,782,087 

Foundry and machine shop products 1,260 127,292,440 

Tanning and leather 254 55,615,009 

Car building 144 43,065,171 

Flouring and grist-mill products 2,719 36,639,423 

Printing and publishing 1,795 36,455,629 

Sugar 7 36,163,817 

Lumber 2,338 35,749,965 

Refinmg petroleum 38 34,977,7o6 

Liquors 281 34,520,358 

Tobacco 2,712 33,355,932 

Slaughtering 1 1 1 25,238,772 

Clothing factories 481 23,389,043 

Coke 88 22,282,358 

Glass 119 22,011,130 

Electrical apparatus 63 19,112,665 

Planing-mill products S42 16,736,839 

Iron and steel ship building 3 14,085,395 

Boot and shoe factories 146 ^3,235,933 

Chemicals 100 13,034,384 

Paper and wood pulp TJ^ 12,267,900 

Cheese, butter and condensed m.ilk factories . 749 10,290,006 

62. Ways of Communication : Indian Trails, Roads, 
Canals, Railroads. — Ways of communication in Pennsylvania have 
followed the usual course of progressing from natural or Indian 
trails to roads, canals and railroads. Each system had its period 
of special activity, which had a marked influence upon the policy of 
the State for the time being. 

Indian Trails. — The earliest ways of communication were the 
Indian trails, which were available for men and horses, but not for 
wagons. The more important were as follows: i. Beginning at 
the northern boundary on the head waters of the north branch of the 
Susquehanna, a few miles west of Wyalusing ; then south along the 
mountains west of Wilkesbarre to Northumberland ; then to the 
Juniata, southwest to near the mouth of the Tuscarora branch ; then 
to Huntingdon ; then southwest along Woodcock Valley and keeping 
between the mountain ranges called the "Great Warrior's Moun- 
tains" to the southern boundary ; and thence to the Potomac. 

2. Somewhat parallel to the preceding, twelve or fifteen miles 
further west ; beginning with the Bald Eagle and Mushanen creeks 
on the west branch of the Susquehanna, south along the Alleghanies 
to Frankstown to Bedford, where it joined the other trail. 




Oi> 



J 



o 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 209 

3. Running northwest to southeast, beginning at Bedford and 
Fort Littleton and then northwest to Kittanning. 

4. A more northerly trail left this some distance beyond Cherry 
Tree Canoe Place through Venango. 

5. The Catawba or Cherokee Trail led from the south through 
Virginia and Western Pennsylvania to Western New York and 
Canada. It entered the State at the mouth of Grassy Run in Fayette 
County, passed through Uniontown, across Westmoreland County, 
up the Allegheny to the head of the Susquehanna in New York. A 
branch left the main trail at Robinson's Mill on Mill or Opossum 
Run and led towards Pittsburg. 

6. The most important east and west trail was Nemacolin's, 
which was used by Washington and Braddock, and to which the 
latter gave his name; it was afterwards known as the Cumberland 
or old National Road from Cumberland, Pa., to near Uniontown, Pa. 

Roads. — In 1677 a highway was in use from Philadelphia to 
the Falls of the Delaware [Trenton] called the King's Path. The 
Queen's Road extended from Philadelphia to Chester, and was es- 
tablished in 1706. The Old York Road was opened in 171 1, and a 
branch to Doylestown and Easton was added in 1722. The road to 
Lancaster was begun in 1733, and in 1736 was extended to Harris's 
Ferry [Harrisburg]. In 1735 a road was run from Harris's Ferry 
through the Cumberland Valley, towards the Potomac. Forbes's 
Road was built in 1758 by Col. Bouquet for Gen. Forbes to con- 
nect Raystown with Pittsburg; unlike Braddock's route, it lay 
wholly within Pennsylvania. It was of great importance in the 
French War, Pontiac's War and the Revolution, and for many 
years was the main highway across the mountains. At the beginning 
of the Revolution it was known as the "Pennsylvania Road" and 
was the direct route to Pittsburg. It was afterwards improved by 
the State and called the "Western Road to Pittsburg" or the "Pitts- 
burg or Chambersburg-Pittsburg Road." 

Early traders in the West penetrating to the Ohio Valley, made 
use of the wagon road that passed through Lancaster from Philadel- 
phia to Harris's Ferry ; thence by bridle path to Will's Creek on the 
Potomac, and thence by an Indian trail to the forks of the Ohio ; 
another Indian trail led from this point to the Miami's towns Indian 
trails led from the Great Island on the west branch of the Sus- 
quehanna to various points, one crossing the mountains to the 
Allegheny. 



2IO 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



State roads began to be constructed in 1785, the earliest being 
one from the western part of Cumberland County to Pittsburg. 
Then came the turnpike, of which the Lancaster Turnpike built in 
1 792- 1 795, was the first of the kind in the United States. Its cost 
was met by a lottery, which was greatly oversubscribed for. Im- 
perfectly constructed at first, it was afterwards remodelled, and 
became the model public road of America. 

The trunpike roads, which were public highways built at private 
expense, speedily became popular, and charters for their erection in 
all parts of the State were obtained in great numbers. By 1832 it 
was estimated that more than 3000 miles of such roads had been 
authorized, by far the larger amount of which had been built. At 
that time there were two stone turnpikes between Philadelphia and 




CONOSTOGA WAGON. 



Pittsburg, one by the northern route and the other by the southern. 
A continuing road ran from Philadelphia to Erie, passing through 
Sunbury, Bellefonte, Franklin and Meadville. Two roads ran north 
from Philadelphia, one to the New York State line, passing through 
Berwick; the other passed through Bethlehem to the northern part 
of Susquehanna County. A continued road ran through Pittsburg 
to Erie, passing through Butler, Mercer, Meadville and Waterford. 
The building of bridges followed the construction of the turnpikes, a 
work often undertaken by companies incorporated for that purpose. 
The National Road was built at government expense and partly 
through an agreement with the newly created State of Ohio. It 
was begun in 1806, but was not completed until 1822; in Pennsyl- 
vania it crosses the counties of Somerset, Fayette and Washington. 
The government abandoned it in 1836, and it was subsequently main- 
tained as a part of the common road system. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 211 

Canals. — As early as 1690 William Penn had alluded to the 
possibility of connecting the Schuylkill and Susquehanna rivers by 
canals; in 1762 a partial survey was made for such work, but it was 
not until 1791 that the first charter was issued to a canal company : 
this was the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Navigation Co. Several 
other important companies were incorporated soon after, and in the 
next twenty or thirty years the building of canals took an important 
part in the internal development of the State. 

After a somewhat checkered career the Schuylkill and Sus- 
quehanna Co. was united with the Delaware and Susquehanna Co. 
under the title of the Union Canal Co., and a canal from Middletown 
on the Susquehanna to near Reading on the Schuylkill was opened 
to navigation in 1827. The Schuylkill Navigation Co. was incor- 
porated in 181 5, and built a canal from Philadelphia to Port Carbon, 
made navigable in 1826. 

An act of March 27, 1824, authorizing the appointment of com- 
missioners to explore a route for a canal from Harrisburg to Pitts- 
burg and connecting Harrisburg with the eastern points of the State 
was the first legislative effort towards the establishment of a general 
system of internal improvements. An act of February 25, 1826, au- 
thorized the construction at the expense of the State of the Pennsyl- 
vania Canal. Very expensive and extensive works were undertaken 
in this connection, known as the "main line" of works, and for a 
number of years the credit of the State — sometimes quite seriously — 
was pledged to the digging of canals. No portion of the great Penn- 
sylvania Canal is now operated. Most of the canals built in Penn- 
sylvania have long been out of use. 

Railroads. — Meanwhile the railroad had made its appearance. 
In 1809 Thomas Leiper set up a tramroad — the forerunner of the 
railroad — in the yard of the Bull Head's Tavern in Philadelphia ; it 
was but twenty-one yards long. Other similar roads followed. The 
first steam locomotive operated in America was on the railroad con- 
necting the Delaware and Hudson Canal with the mines at Car- 
bondale. 

The first charter for a railroad was to the Philadelphia and Co- 
lumbia Railroad, March 31, 1823, an enterprise that failed of realiza- 
tion. A railway between Philadelphia and Lancaster was likewise 
a failure. The Allegheny Portage Railroad was more successful. 
It was operated in connection with the canal system between Holli- 
daysburg and Johnstown by the Canal Commissioners to December, 



212 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



1853, when the Pennsylvania Railroad ran its first cars from Phila- 
delphia to Pittsburg. The latter company completed its link over 
the Alleghanies in 1855 and the Portage Railroad was then aban- 
doned. 

The earliest railroads in Pennsylvania were chartered for con- 
veying mineral products to market, and at first were built in con- 
junction with the canal systems. In 1831 the Philadelphia, Ger- 
mantown and Norristown Railroad and the West Chester Railroad 
were incorporated; in 1832 the Philadelphia and Trenton; in 1833 
the Philadelphia and Reading. About 1835 the building of rail- 
roads began in earnest. Agitation for the building of the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad began in 1838, and the road was chartered in 1846. 
It was a significant fact that the charter declared the railroad a pub- 
lic highway. The Pennsylvania Railroad operated the railroad part 
of the State's system of internal improvements until 1857, when it 
purchased the main line of works. 

The first general law regulating railroads was passed in 1849. 
The State Constitution of 1873 did not affect existing charters, but 
touched in some respect on management, organization, etc., of rail- 
roads, and gave the Secretary of Internal Affairs a general over- 
sight over them. 




FAC-SIMILE OF PRESIDENTS MEDAL, 
THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY, iSqQ. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 213 

CHAPTER XL • ' 

War in Pennsylvania. 

Dutch and English Wars, §§12 and 13; Braddock's Expedi- 
tion, Indian Wars, Paxton Riots, Lord Dunmore's War, §34; 
Pennamite and Yankee Wars, §38; Revolutionary War, §49; 
Whiskey Insurrection, Hot Water Rebellion, House Tax or Fries's 
Rebellion, War of 1812, Buckshot War, Saw^Dust War, §43D; 
Pennsylvania Navy, §51. 

63. Military Affairs in the Provincial Period. — Penn's char- 
ter gave him authority "to levy, muster and train all sorts of men 
of what condition soever or wheresoever born, in the said Province of 
Pennsylvania, for the time being, and to make war and pursue the 
enemies and robbers aforesaid as well by sea as by land, even 
without the limits of said Province, and by God's assistance to van- 
quish and take them, and being taken to put them to death, by the 
law of war, or to save them at their pleasure, and to do all and every 
other thing which unto the charge and office of a Captain-General of 
an army belongeth, or hath accustomed to belong, as fully and freely 
as any Captain-General of an army hath ever had the same." 

Penn himself was opposed to war and all armed resistance. The 
first military question that presented itself to his Province was in 
1689, when the crown suggested the formation of a militia in view 
of a French attack, a position supported by Governor Blackwell and 
maintained by Markham and the non-Quaker portion of the Council. 
In 1693 Governor Fletcher of New York, while in control of Penn- 
sylvania, made an application for money for the French and Indian 
war in Canada, and received a grant on promising it should not be 
applied to distinctly warlike purposes. In 1695 a requisition for 
80 men for the defense of New York resulted in a vote of money in 
the following year to be used to "feed the hungry and clothe the 
naked" Indians. In 1709 Pennsylvania was asked to contribute 150 
men in the war against Canada, at a cost, the Governor suggested, of 
£4,000. The Assembly replied by voting £500 as a gift to the Queen. 

Other sums were granted in the same way, the Quakers taking 
the position that it was no concern of theirs what was done with the 
money, but that they could not vote it for military purposes. With 



214 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

the beginning of the Indian troubles in 1737 the military question 
became more complicated. The Assembly pointed out that the Gov- 
ernor had authority to form militia under the charter without appeal 
to it, and this suggestion was afterwards acted upon. Under Gov- 
ernor Thomas a vote of £3,000 was made for the King's use on 
condition that the indentured servants who had enlisted in the militia 
should be discharged and no more enlisted. The Governor refused 
his assent, but the Assembly voted £2,500 to the masters of enlisted 
servants. 

The question of military supplies was used by the Assembly as 
a means of obtaining desired approval from refractory Governors. 
As time went on sums were voted for the King's use and for other 
indefinite purposes, but frequently with such conditions attached 
that the Governors could not assent to them. Then the taxation of 
the Penn estates became a vital issue, and in 1755 i6o,ooo were 
voted provided these estates were taxed. This particular emergency 
was relieved by a gift of £5,000 by the Penns, and the Assembly 
immediately voted £55,000 for the relief of friendly and distressed 
frontiersmen "and other purposes," afterwards enacting a military 
law for those "willing and desirous" of bearing arms. Matters 
became so acute, the Province being without proper defense, that 
a petition to the Board of Trade recommended that "the King be 
advised to recommend it to his Parliament that no Quaker be per- 
mitted to sit in any Assembly in Pennsylvania or any part of Amer- 
ica." Nearly £600,000 were granted for military operations by the 
Pennsylvania Assembly between 1755 and 1766. 

When the majority of the Quakers withdrew from the Assembly 
in 1756 on the declaration of war against the Delaware and Shawan- 
ese Indians, and the offering of rewards for the scalps of men and 
women — an offer renewed in 1764 — Quaker views on military ques- 
tions ceased to be a factor in Pennsylvania. 

In 1747 Franklin organized bodies of militia called Associators, 
by which name the Pennsylvania militia were known to the time of 
the Revolution. The military establishment in Pennsylvania dates 
from this time. 

64. Frontier Forts. — The fortifications known as the "fron- 
tier forts" of Pennsylvania were erected by the Provincial Govern- 
ment between the Delaware and the Potomac between 1752 and 
1763 as a defense against the Indians. They included (i), a chain 
of forts along the Blue Mountains from the Susquehanna to the 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



215 




2i6 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Delaware, placed ten to fifteen miles apart at prominent gaps or 
openings and on the north or south side of the mountains as cir- 
cumstances determined; (2), forts in the Wyoming Valley; (3), 
forts south of the Blue Mountains between the Delaware and the 
Susquehanna; (4), forts in the Juniata and Cumberland Valleys, 
east of the Susquehanna; and (5), forts west of the Alleghany 
Mountains. 

In all, 207 forts were erected during the French and Indian 
wars of 1755-1758 and Pontiac's war of 1763, at the expense of the 
Assembly of the Province and garrisoned by troops in its pay. In 
addition to the forts authorized by the Provincial Council were a 
number of blockhouses or private forts erected by the settlers for 
their own defense or that of their immediate neighbors. The Pro- 
vincial forts were sometimes places already fortified and taken by the 
Government for inclusion in the general defense. The typical form 
was a stockaded enclosure containing from one to four blockhouses. 
The defensive equipment sometimes included guns and swivels in 
addition to the ordinary muskets. The blockhouses varied greatly ; 
sometimes they were stockaded enclosures, sometimes they were 
dwellings built with a view to their fortification. 

The relative importance of the forts depended on their situa- 
tion, the population in their immediate neighborhood and other 
circumstances. The blockhouses, as a rule, were small, and were 
chiefly used by the persons building them, and were not intended 
for general defense. The remains of these forts have almost all 
disappeared, but the site of most of them has been ascertained. 
The more important were built as defense against the Indians ; but 
the old forts of the State also included some Revolutionary strong- 
holds, forts built to protect certain places or otherwise erected with- 
out regard to the Indian warfare. The names of most of them had 
local significance, and were drawn from the owners of the land, 
commanding officers, or chosen in honor of distinguished men or 
officials 

65. The Civil War — Pennsylvania was emphatically and 
completely a loyal State during the war of the Rebellion. Secretary 
of War Floyd, who, in 1859 ^"d i860, had undertaken to deplete the 
northern arsenals by removing arms and ammunition from them, 
was only stopped in his work when he attempted to send war ma- 
terial from Pittsburg. It was the first State to respond to President 
Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers on April 15, 1861, and Penn- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 217 

sylvania troops, consisting of 530 men, were the first to reach Wash- 
ington immediately afterwards. The Ringgold Light Artillery of 
Reading, a Pennsylvania-German organization (Captain McKnight), 
arrived in Harrisburg April 16, and was the first troop to respond 
to the call of Governor Curtin. The Logan Guards of Lewistown 
(Captain Selheimer), the Allen Rifles (Captain Yeager), the 
Washington Artillery (Captain Wren) and the NationafLight In- 
fantry of Pottsville (Captain McDonald) were almost equally 
prompt. 

A special session of the State Legislature was called April 30 
by Governor Curtin to adopt measures for the better establishment 
of the State militia; and an act was passed, May 15, providing for 
the organization of the Reserve Corps of thirteen regiments of 
infantry, one of cavalry and one of artillery. Pennsylvania's total 
contribution to the Civil War was 270 regiments and several un- 
attached companies, numbering 387,284 men in all, including 25,000 
State militia in service in September, 1862. 

General Robert Patterson and General William H. Keim were 
placed by Governor Curtin in command of the Pennsylvania troops, 
and General Patterson, with the Pennsylvania forces, was placed 
by General Scott, then at the head of the Regular Army, in command 
of the Department of Washington, embracing Pennsylvania, Dela- 
ware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The purpose of this 
command was the protection of the Capitol at Washington and to 
keep the line of communication open through Maryland for troops 
from the north and west. The burning of the railroad bridges 
closed the route through Baltimore, but it was re-opened by the 
17th Pennsylvania Regiment and some companies of the Third 
Regulars and remained open during the whole war. 

Pennsylvania's first quota of 14 regiments was immediately 
filled, and soon increased to 25. The Pennsylvania Reserves were au- 
thorized by the State Legislature and consisted of 15,000 men to serve 
three years, to be ready for any emergency. After the battle of Bull 
Run, July 21, 1861, the capture of Washington seemed inevitable and 
the President called on the Pennsylvania Reserves. In four months 
Pennsylvania preserved the National Capital twice. Pennsylvania 
supplied 43 regiments under the call of July 7, 1862, and 15 under 
the draft of August 4, and at the same time organized nine in- 
dependent batteries of artillery. In September, 25 additional regi- 



2i8 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

ments with four companies of infantry, 14 unattached companies 
of cavalry and four companies of artillery were raised. 

On October 10, 1862, J. E. B. Stuart, with 1800 horsemen 
and four pieces of artillery, made a dash into Pennsylvania as far 
as Chambersburg, which he captured and most of which he burned. 
June 12, 1863, the entire State militia was called out by Governor 
Curtin, who offered its services for an emergency, but they were not 
ready to enlist in the regular troops for the Government's period 
of six months. On June 26 the Governor issued a second call, limit- 
ing the service to 90 days ; but eight regiments and one battalion had 
been mustered in between the dates of these calls. 

The real problem of the Civil War was the control of the Shen- 
andoah Valley. The two routes to the South were through this 
valley and through Washington. The latter was in the hands of 
the Government, and General Lee therefore made two efforts to 
secure an entrance to the North through the Shenandoah. His first 
attempt resulted in his defeat at Antietam ; his second was made at 
Gettysburg. His real aim was the control of the anthracite coal 
beds of the eastern part of Pennsylvania ; for could he set fire to these 
the railroads and ships of the North, which were dependent on them 
for their fuel, would be rendered useless and the fire once started 
would be inextinguishable. 

Lee swept into Pennsylvania and hoped to reach Harrisburg 
and secure the bridge over the Susquehanna at Columbia. Unable 
to accomplish these purposes he marched towards Gettysburg which 
place General Meade was rapidly approaching with the army of the 
Potomac. The battle begun on July i, 1863, at Seminary Ridge, 
where the Confederate forces met the advance of the Union Army 
under Reynolds, who was killed early in the conflict, and who was 
succeeded in the command by Hancock, by order of Meade. This 
date is known as the First Day of Gettysburg. The Union Army 
was slowly driven back to Cemetery Hill, where it passed the night. 
The losses on both sides were enormous, but Lee's were larger than 
the Union losses. 

The Second Day, July 2, saw both forces facing each other, 
Lee northwest of the town on Seminary Ridge, and Meade, who 
commanded the Union Army, to the southwest on Cemetery and 
Gulp's Hills, his left extending south to the Round Tops. Late in 
the afternoon Lee attacked the Union left and was only repulsed 
after the most furious fighting of the entire war. The Union right 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



219 



was then attacked, and only maintained its position by fierce fighting. 
The Federal losses were greater than those of the Confederates. 

On the Third Day, July 3, Lee made a final attempt by a terrific 




onslaught with Pickett's division, directed against the centre of the 
Union line. After a prolonged cannonading Pickett, with 18,000 men, 
rushed into what was supposed to be an open way; but the charge 



<^2e^:^..^ /HuukM>L^ 



was well sustained by the Union forces and the entire division was 
annihilated. The Union victory was complete. Lee's retreat took 
place on the night of July 4. Competent critics maintain that the 




/. 



tc/l cc 



percentage of losses in the battle of Gettysburg was greater than that 
of any battle known in history. 

The final engagement within Pennsylvania was the burning of 
Chambersburg by a force under McCausland and Johnston, on July 
30, 1864. It was the only town within the limits of a loyal State that 
was entirely destroyed during the war. 



220 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

PENNSYLVANIA TROOPS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

1861. 1862. 1863. 1864 1865. 

Call of April 15 for 3 months. . 20,979 

Call of July 22 for 3 years, 
Pennsylvania reserve 
volunteer corps 15,856 

Act of Congress July 22, 3 years 93.759 

Call of July 7, including 18 

and 9 months' regiments 40,383 

Draft of August 4, 9 months 15,100 

Independent companies, 3 years 1,358 

Recruits 9,259 4,458 26,567 9,133 

Enlistments in other State 
Organizations and regu- 
lar Army 5.000 934 2,974 387 

By War Department for 3 years 1,066 9,867 

Call of June for 6 months 4,484 

For emergency 7,062 

Militia for 90 days 25,042 

Re-enlistments for 3 years 17,876 

Call of July 27 for i year 16,094 

Call of July 6 for 100 days 7,675 

Drafted men and substitutes 10,651 6,675 

Call of December 19, 1864, 

for I year 9,645 



Totals 130,594 71,100 43,046 91,704 25,840 



Grand total 387,284 




PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 221 



CHAPTER XII. 

Miscellaneous. 

66. The Judicial System. 

A. Provincial Period. 

Penn's Charter conferred upon him or his representatives the 
right to appoint judges and to endow them with such power as 
seemed suitable ; he was authorized to estabUsh courts and determine 
their procedure. 

Generally speaking, the courts in the provincial period were of 
three kinds : County Courts, Orphans' Courts, and the Provincial 
Court. County courts were composed of justices of the peace ; they 
met irregularly and had jurisdiction to try inferior criminal offences 
and all civil cases except where title to land was involved ; they were 
frequently assisted by boards of peacemakers, which were appointed 
annually for the adjustment of minor differences. The judges of the 
County Courts sat in Orphans' Courts, which were established to 
control and distribute the estates of deceased persons. The Pro- 
vincial Court had jurisdiction in cases of serious crime and where 
land titles were involved ; appeals to it were taken from the County 
and Orphans' Courts. 

Before 1684 large judicial powers rested with the Provincial 
Council; after that date this body was chiefly concerned with ad- 
miralty cases, the administration of estates — often neglected by the 
Orphans' Courts — and a general superintendence of the various 
courts. A vice-admiralty court was established in 1693. The Eng- 
lish system of jurisprudence prevailed in Pennsylvania during the 
period of proprietary rule ; it subsequently underwent various modi- 
fications. Equity was, however, from the time of Penn, administered 
in common law forms of action, a procedure long peculiar to Penn- 
sylvania, but a system now so general as to be followed in England. 

In 1683 the omission of provision for the trial of capital offenses 
and hearing appeals in the code of 1682 was remedied by fixing pro- 
cedure in criminal cases. In 1684 a Provincial Court of 



222 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

five judges was established to sit twice a year in Philadelphia and 
twice on circuit. County Courts were empowered in 1685 to try 
all cases except heinous crimes, which were to be tried in the county 
where committed, by three judges especially commissioned by the 
Governor and Council. 

By 1 701 the Provincial Court and other tribunals were firmly 
established and their jurisdictions defined. Quarter sessions were 
established for each county by justices of the peace who were 
authorized to hold Orphans' Courts and to hear cases in equity; 
appeals were allowed to five judges appointed by the proprietor or 
his deputy and a final appeal to the Crown was allowed on deposit 
of the amount decreed against the appellant or a bond for double the 
amount to prosecute the appeal in England within a year. 

In 1705 this act was repealed by the Queen in Council and in 
1707 Governor Evans established courts by ordinance. These in- 
cluded a Supreme or Provincial Court composed of a chief justice 
and two associate justices ; county judges were to hold general ses- 
sions of the peace and jail delivery as well as courts of common 
pleas and courts of equity ; special commissions of Oyer and Terminer 
were to be issued for the trial of capital crimes. In 1709 
(February 28) Governor Gookin proclaimed all ordinances and 
commissions in force on February i in force until his further 
pleasure. In 1 710- 11 the Assembly increased the Supreme Court 
judges to four and established courts of quarter sessions and com- 
mon pleas. This act was repealed by the Queen in Council in 1713- 
14 and on July 20, 1714, Governor Gookin established courts by 
ordinance similar to that issued by his predecessor. In the following 
year he approved an act establishing courts similar to the act of 1710. 

In 1718 an act was passed extending to Pennsylvania such 
statutes as might be needed to supply defects in the laws of the 
Province ; high treason, murder, robbery, mayhem, witchcraft, arson 
and six other crimes were made capital offences. In 1720 the As- 
sembly assented to the establishment of a Court of Chancery, with 
the Governor as chancellor and all members of the Council residing 
near Philadelphia as assistants ; it was abolished in 1735. 

An act was passed in 1722 estabHshing courts substantially as 
defined by the law of 171 5 and remained in force, with few amend- 
ments, until after the Revolution. It constituted a formal reorgani- 
zation of the judicial system. A supplemental act was adopted in 
1759 providing for courts of common pleas in each county to con- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 223 

sist of five judges; justices of the courts of quarter sessions were 
forbidden to act as judges of common pleas. This was repealed by 
the Crown in 1760 and a final supplemental act was adopted in 1767. 

Justices, from the beginning, were appointed for life or for 
good behavior. Their term was limited to seven years by the Con- 
stitution of 1776, but life appointments were restored in 1790. The 
Constitution of 1838 reduced the term to ten years. A radical change 
was the introduction of the elective judiciary by the constitutional 
amendment of 1850. 

A City Court was maintained in Philadelphia from 1701 to 
1782. A High Court of Errors and Appeals was established by act 
of February 28, 1780, and abolished by act of February 24, 1806; 
it was created to hear appeals from the Supreme Court, the Regis- 
ter's Court and the Court of Admiralty. The Mayor's Court of Phila- 
delphia was created March 11, 1789, and abolished March 19, 1838. 
The District Court for the City and County of Philadelphia was or- 
ganized by act of March 30, 181 1, and abolished by the Constitution 
of 1873. The Court of Criminal Sessions for the City and County of 
Philadelphia was maintained from 1838 to 1840; the Court of Gen- 
eral Sessions for the City and County of Philadelphia existed be- 
tween 1840 and 1843. 

B. Present System. 

The judicial powers of the Commonwealth are vested in a Su- 
preme Court, Superior Court, Courts of Common Pleas, Courts of 
Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery, Courts of Quarter 
Sessions of the Peace, Orphans' Courts, Magistrates* Courts, and in 
such others as the General Assembly may establish from time to 
time. 

The Supreme Court is composed of seven judges, elected by the 
people for twenty-one years ; they are not eligible to re-election. If 
two justices are to be voted for at one time each voter may vote for 
one only ; if three are to be chosen he may vote for two. The justice 
longest in service is the chief justice. The jurisdiction of the court 
extends over the State; annual sessions are held in Philadelphia 
(Eastern District), Harrisburg (Middle District), and Pittsburg 
(Western District). The justices, by virtue of their office, are 
justices of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery in the sev- 
eral counties; they have original jurisdiction in cases of injunction 



224 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

where a corporation is a party defendant, of habeas corpus, of man- 
damus to courts of inferior jurisdiction and of quo warranto as to 
all officers of the Commonwealth whose jurisdiction extends over 
the State; they have appellate jurisdiction by appeal, certiorari 
or writ of error in all cases as provided by law. 

The Superior Court, created in 1895, is composed of seven law 
judges, elected by the people for ten years. When four or more 
are to be chosen at one time (two or more after 1909) the electors 
may vote for as many persons less one as are to be chosen. The 
court holds sessions each year in Philadelphia, Scranton, Williams- 
port, Harrisburg and Pittsburg. It was created to expedite the 
business of the Supreme Court. It has no original jurisdiction ex- 






PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, 1873. 

cept that it may issue writs of habeas corpus. It has final and ex- 
clusive appellate jurisdiction in civil cases in which the value in con- 
troversy does not exceed $1,500, and in other cases as prescribed by 
law ; but in certain specified instances appeals from its decisions can 
be taken to the Supreme Court. 

For the Courts of Common Pleas the State is divided into fifty- 
six judicial districts; each county containing 40,000 population con- 
stitutes a separate district, and is entitled to one judge learned in the 
law. Counties of less population shall be formed into single districts 
or may be attached to contiguous districts. The judges are elected 
by the people for ten years. When there is more than one judge in 
any district the one whose commission expires first is the President 
Judge. Associate judges, not learned in the law, may be elected in 
judicial districts for five years, except where counties form separate 






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REHEL 
BATTtRY . 



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J.ru,:h,rr<;\ 












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.t.Vlvdfr ♦^;</ ■<•>,. 



LITTLE ROUND TOP 



BIG ROUND TOP 











C^#I/v,> 



}l'l'l('l' /l,^; 



Plan of the Battlefield of Gettysburg ; Positions axu Ciiauc.es of 
THE Pennsylvania Reserves. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 225 

districts. The Constitution of 1873 abolished the then existing 
Court of Common Pleas and District Court in the counties of Al- 
legheny and Philadelphia, and substituted a new series of Courts of 
Common Pleas. 

Judges of the Courts of Common Pleas learned in the law are 
also judges of the Courts of Oyer and Terminer, Quarter Sessions 
of the Peace and General Jail Delivery, of the Orphans' Courts and. 
within their own district. Justices of the Peace in criminal matters 
except that in counties wherein Orphans' Courts shall be established 
the jurisdiction of the judges of the Common Pleas within such 
counties shall cease. 

Justices of the Peace or Aldermen are elected in the wards, dis- 
tricts, boroughs and townships for five years and are commissioned 
by the Governor. No division can obtain more than two without the 
consent of the qualified electors of such division. Only one Alder- 
man is permitted for each ward or district in cities of more than 
50,000 population. They can hear persons charged with criminal 
offenses and discharge them or bind them over to court. They have 
civil jurisdiction in matters involving not more than $300, subject to 
appeals from any judgment they render exceeding $5.33. 

Magistrates are chosen in Philadelphia instead of Aldermen. 
Their term of office is five years, and a Magistrates' Court is estab- 
lished for each 30,000 of population. They are designated as courts 
"not of record" for police and civil causes, with jurisdiction not ex- 
ceeding $100. 

Separate Orphans' Courts must be established by the General 
Assembly in any county where the population exceeds 150,000, and 
may be established in counties of less population. They are ad- 
ministered by one or more law judges, and have charge of all matters 
relating to decedents estates. 

67. Slavery. — As early as 1662 Peter Cornelisz Plockhoy 
announced that in his colony on the Delaware no slavery should 
exist. William Penn, however, was a slave owner. In 1688 came 
the celebrated German Protest in the form of an address to the 
Yearly Meeting adopted by the German Quakers of Germantown 
against the buying and keeping of negroes. No action ensued, but 
in 1696 an address by the Yearly Meeting advised against bringing 
in any more negroes. In 1698 the separate meeting of Friends under 
George Keith in Philadelphia declared its sense of the duty of 
emancipation "after some reasonable time of service." 



226" PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

In 1700 a law proposed by Penn for "regulating negroes iH 
their morals and marriages" was rejected by the Assembly, and in 
1705 a stringent law was enacted inflicting capital and other punish- 
ment on negroes for certain crimes that were not so punished when 
committed by whites. In this year the sale of Indians as slaves was 
prohibited. At the same time the owners of imported negroes were 
taxed 40 shillings per head, with a drawback of one-half on their 
re-exportation ; a tax that was again levied in 1710, but repealed by 
the Privy Council in 171 4. In 1 712 a tax of £20 per head was voted 






f^'tx 










FAC-SIMILE OF ANTI-SLAVERY CLAUSE IN BENJAMIN FU«LV'S 
SUGGESTIONS TO WILLIAM PENN. 



by the Assembly and repealed by the Privy Council. Other at- 
tempts were made, and in 1729 a tax of £2 per head was permitted 
to stand. In 1761 it was increased to iio, and in 1773 to i20. 

March i, 1780, the first abolition act passed in America was 
adopted by the Assembly of Pennsylvania "for the gradual abolition 
of slavery." It had been originally proposed by Vice-President 
Bryan in 1778. It provided that "all negro children born after 
March i, 1780, might be held in service until the age of 21 and no 
longer." It has been estimated that there were then in Pennsyl- 
vania about 4,000 slaves; the census of 1790 gives the number as 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. S37 

3,737; in 1820 they had decreased to about 200. A later law pro- 
vided that slaves brought into Pennsylvania by its citizens were to 
be immediately free, as well as those brought in by citizens of other 
States intending to reside there. The last slaves held by the 
Quakers in Pennsylvania were manumitted wherever possible about 
the time of the battle of Yorktown. 

The Quaker agitation for the abolition of slavery having been 
successful in Pennsylvania after nearly one hundred years of effort, 
the Friends determined to extend their labors to the nation at large. 
An address to Congress was made in 1783, and again in 1790. The 
Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery was 
formed in 1774 with Benjamin Franklin as president. In 1794 a 

Juft Imp.rled in tho (hi]^ GRANBY, JOSEPH BLEWER. 

Mailer, 

Seventy Gold-Coaj SLAVES 

of vari'ousages, and bclh fexes, 
TobcfolJonboarafaidftipalMr Plumfled's V^T^if.ljy 

WILLING and M0BR1S, 

Andapart'of tiicm areintendefJtobeferitfnaffwdlayatoDook 
Crtek, tTier* to be fold, by Mr. Thomas Mudock foTcashoR 
country produce, 

SLAVERY ADVERTISEMENT. 

convention of abolition societies were held in Philadelphia, with 
delegates from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Delaware and Maryland. No results were accomplished by these 
early proceedings save to direct public attention to the subject. 

In 1797 Albert Gallatin presented a Quaker petition to Con- 
gress pointing out that slaves freed by Quakers in North Carolina 
were re-enslaved by laws passed after their manumission. After the 
cession of her territory north of the Ohio to the Union by Virginia 
Pennsylvania, New York and the four New England States voted 
in favor of the proposal that after 1800 neither slavery nor invol- 
untary servitude should exist in this or any other land ceded to the 
United States. The proposition failed of adoption in Congress. In 
1804, Bard, a Pehnsylvanian, introduced a resolution taxing every 
slave imported $10. In 1817 the Philadelphia Friends signed a 
memorial for suppressing the fitting out of vessels for foreign trade 
and prohibiting interstate traffic. In 1819 the Pennsylvania Sen- 
ators, Roberts and Lowry, took positive grounds for freedom in the 
struggle for the extension of slavery west of the Mississippi ; a 
unanimous vote of the Pennsylvania Legislature sustained them in 



228 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

their action. A convention of colored men in Philadelphia in 183 1 
adopted strong resolutions against colonization, and in 1833 the first 
anti-slavery convention in the same city met at the call of Evan 
Lewis, a Quaker. 

In 1846 David Wilmot, a Democratic member of the House 
from Towanda, offered a resolution on the question of the acquisi- 
tion of new territory by the United States that "neither slavery nor 
involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory 
except for crime." It was adopted by the House, but failed in the 
Senate. The "Wilmot proviso," as it was called, became the rally- 
ing cry of the free party in the North for a considerable time. Al- 
though supported by the Pennsylvania Legislature by an overwhelm- 
ing vote the resolution had been prepared by Brinckerhoff of Ohio. 
A serious riot occurred at Christiana, Lancaster Co., in 1850, fol- 
lowing the agitation that ensued on the adoption of the compromise 
measure of 1850; and many disturbances happened elsewhere 
throughout the State. 

By i860 Pennsylvania was fully committed to anti-slavery. Yet 
immediately after Curtin and Lincoln had been elected by enormous 
majorities in the State, resolutions were introduced into the Legisla- 
ture declaring it to be the duty of the State to ofifer every facility for 
the restoration of fugitive slaves, and December 13, i860, a mass- 
meeting in Independence Square indicated the warmest sympathy 
with the Southern slave owners. Pennsylvania was, however, a 
strongly Unionist and anti-slavery State throughout the entire 
period of the Civil War, and her history shows a more consistent and 
longer sustained condemnation of slavery than does that of any 
other State. 

68. Education. — Penn's Frame provided that the Governor and 
Provincial Council shall "erect and order all public schools," and 
the laws agreed upon in England provided that "All children within 
this Province of the age of twelve years shall be taught some use- 
ful trade or skill." The Great Law provided that "the laws of this 
Province, from time to time, shall be published and printed, that 
every person may have knowledge thereof ; and they shall be one 
of the books taught in the schools of this Province and territories 
thereof." The first English school was opened in Philadelphia by 
Enoch Flower in 1683. The first school established by Penn was 
the "Friends' Public School," opened in 1689 and chartered in 1697. 
It has been continuously in operation to the present time, and is 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



229 



known as the "William Penn Charter School." The earliest charter 
has been lost, but the originals of others, dated 1701, 1708, and 171 1, 
are preserved in the school, while duplicates are in the office of the 
Secretary of Internal Affairs at Harrisburg. Notwithstanding that 
Penn's earliest papers exhibited a very keen interest in education 
and his intention to incorporate public education as one of the duties 
of government, the Charter of 1701 contains no provision relating 
to education and in the first three-quarters of the xviii. century 
nothing appears to have been done by the authorities to provide edu- 
cational facilities for the peo]:)le. 



— '^ 




The Academy; 4-'^ Sf. 



In 1743 a plan for the "Academy and Charitable School of the 
Province of Pennsylvania" was drawn up by Benjamin Franklin. 
These proposals were renewed in 1749 and the institution organized 
which subsequently developed into the University of Pennsylvania. 
The trustees were given a charter as the "Trustees of the Academy 
and Charitable School of the Province of Pennsylvania" in 1753; 
in 1755 the institution was incorporated as a college, with the right 
to confer degrees. 

In 1754 a "Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge among 
the Germans in America" (Society for the Education of the Ger- 



230 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

mans in America) was founded in London, largely through the rep- 
resentation of the Rev. Michael Schlatter, a minister of the reformed 
church who came to Pennsylvania in 1746, and Provost William 
Smith. A considerable sum of money was raised and trustees resi- 
dent in Pennsylvania were appointed to manage it. A number of 
English schools were immediately started and deputy trustees ap- 
pointed to have local charge of them. This movement was at once 
violently opposed by Christopher Saur in his newspaper of June 
26, 1754, and was the signal of a determined and long continued 
opposition of Saur to all of Dr. Smith's schemes for educating the 
German youth. While flourishing for a time these schools failed to 
gain the support of the people for whom they were especially created ; 
as they were intended to supplant the parochial schools which had 
existed in the colony from its earliest settlement. Consequently the 
system collapsed in 1763 from want of support. Free public schools 
were established in the Wyoming Valley by the Connecticut settlers ; 
they were entirely without the educational system of the Province, 
but continued in operation in that region until the adoption of the 
common school system in 1834. 

Education in Provincial Pennsylvania was chiefly provided by 
the various religious denominations and churches. The Friends es- 
tablished many schools. The establishment of Christ Church by the 
Episcopalians in Philadelphia in 1695 was quickly followed by a 
school, and other early churches were equally active in the cause 
of education; the Academy of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 
Philadelphia was founded in 1785 and incorporated and endowed in 
1787; the Academy at York, started by the same church, was in- 
corporated in 1787 and became a county Academy in 1799. The 
Baptists, whose first church was established at Cold Spring, Bucks 
Co., in 1684, also founded schools, although the earliest record 
goes back only to the schoolhouse of Lower Dublin Church in 1732. 
The Presbyterians were especially active in school work, a law en- 
acted by the Scottish Parliament in 1695 having provided that "there 
be a school founded and a schoolmaster appointed in every parish 
by advice of the Presbyteries," a custom that appears to have been 
generally followed in Pennsylvania. The most noted Presbyterian 
school was the academy established by the Rev. Mr. Tennent in 
Bucks County in 1726 and popularly called "Log College." The de- 
velopment of Roman Catholic education in Pennsylvania has been 
a work chiefly of the last sixty or seventy years ; but a school was at- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 231 

tached to the first Roman Catholic church — St. Joseph's, Philadel- 
phia (erected, 1730), — although it is not known at what date it be- 
gan. It is not known that the Methodists had a parochial school 
in Pennsylvania. 

The idea of the union of church and school was brought to 
Pennsylvania by both the Reformed and Lutheran Germans, and, 
when circumstances permitted, was consistently carried out. There 
is little evidence of either churches or schoolhouses among these peo- 
ple before 1720. Much of the German emigration into Pennsyl- 
vania was without the systematic purpose that characterized the 
emigration of the Friends and Moravians, and they were much be- 
hind the other people of the Province in their educational work. 
Philadelphia possessed several private German schools before the 
Revolution, and special provision was made for German students in 
the University. In 1780 a select school or academy was founded at 
Lancaster, and was the nucleus of Franklin College, chartered in 
1787. It was merged into what is now Franklin and Marshall Col- 
lege in 1853. 

The school formed an integral part of the Moravian system. 
Almost immediately after reaching Pennsylvania in 1740 they 
erected their first school house. The first Moravian school in Amer- 
ica was a "Boarding School" opened in Germantown in 1742. A 
similar school was opened in Nazareth in 1745 and the first building 
in Bethlehem erected especially for school purposes was commenced 
in the same year. The Moravians still maintain three schools of a 
high grade, Nazareth Hall, Nazareth, the Seminary for Young 
Ladies, Bethlehem, and Linden Hall, Lititz; the first two were or- 
ganized as at present in 1785, the latter in 1794. Neighborhood 
schools were established in a number of communities by parents who 
were unwilling to send their children to the denominational schools ; 
only the most rudimentary instruction was given in these places. 

The State Constitution of 1776 provided for the establishment 
of schools in each county, although the Province had done nothing 
for general education for fifty years previously. An act approved 
April 7, 1786, appropriated lands for the endowment of Dickinson 
College and set aside 60,000 acres for the endowment of public 
schools. These lands, however, seem afterwards to have been ap- 
propriated to county academies. The Constitution of 1790 pro- 
vided for free schools for the instruction of the poor gratis, a pro- 
vision incorporated in the Constitution of 1838. The wording of this 



232 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

clause raised the question whether free instruction was not intended 
only for the poor, and the Supreme Court of the State (in 185 1) 
only agreed that such instruction was not to be so restricted on the 
ground that free instruction for the rich was not forbidden. The 
application of these early laws was, for a long time, limited to ex- 
isting schools, chiefly carried on by religious bodies ; higher learn- 
ing, however, received more support, many colleges, and an acad- 
emy for nearly every county being chartered between 1790 and 1834. 

The first act of the Legislature looking to free education was 
approved March i, 1802; it was found defective in its operation, and 
other acts were passed in 1804 ^"^ 1809, 181 2, 1818, 1822, 1824, 
1826. Many of these acts were inefficient. Philadelphia was created 
the first school district of Pennsylvania in 1818, and the city of 
Lancaster was made a separate district in 1822. Frequent refer- 
ences to free education occur in the messages of the Governors prior 
to 1834. A prolonged agitation resulted in the passage of "an act 
to establish a general system of Education by Common Schools" in 
1834, which was the foundation of the present free school system of 
Pennsylvania ; it had long been earnestly advocated by Governor 
Wolf. The adoption of the law did not, however, end agitation 
on the subject, for the measure encountered much opposition, and 
the question became, for a time, an important one in State politics. 
Another law, passed in 1836, and which had the eloquent and power- 
ful support of Thaddeus Stevens, removed some of the defects of the 
previous act and was the real foundation of the present system of 
free education in Pennsylvania. A law approved May 8, 1854, 
greatly expanded and improved the earlier law, and contained a 
number of provisions that strengthened and improved the public 
school system. An independent school department was created in 
1857. The Normal School Law of the same year was another 
notable piece of educational legislation. A compulsory education 
bill was approved May 16, 1895. 

The Soldiers' Orphan Schools form a special chapter in the 
history of education in Pennsylvania, and constitute one of the most 
notable schemes of modern public benevolence. Their establishment 
was first recommended by Governor Andrew G. Curtin in his annual 
message of 1864. 

69. Naturalization. — Immediately on his arrival in Pennsyl- 
vania Penn caused a law to be passed by the Assembly at Chester 
naturalizing the Swedes and Dutch then in the Province. An act 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



233 



of 1700, giving the proprietor power to naturalize all foreigners 
coming to the Province, was disallowed by the Crown in 1705. An 
act of Parliament (7-8 William III, Chap. 22) provided that no pro- 
prietor should sell or otherwise dispose of land to any but natural- 
born English subjects, without the King's license issued in Council 
for that purpose had created some distrust of Pennsylvania titles, 
where the practice of selling to aliens was common. Relief was 
sought in acts of Assembly naturalizing the applicant, and in 1708 
an act was passed naturalizing by name a number of prominent Ger- 
mans living in Germantown. Similar acts were passed in 1729, 
1730, 1734 and 1737. A general act was passed in 1742 providing 
for the naturalization of all foreigners who had lived seven years 



o 

o 
o 




O hereby CERTIFY, That 

% hatK voluntai4ty taken aKaTublcribed the Oath op-Af- 
rinmatioii of Allegiance and Fidelity* as direAed by aa 
A A of General Affembly of Pcnnfylvania, paiTed the 
1 3th day of Jwne, yf.D. ^Jf^7y Witnefs my hand 
and feal. the^^^^^day of ^/*^4y' A.D, 



O K- 

o > 



• ou 




(y%.) 





rRlNTED BY } oyM% DUNLAP. 

FAC-SIMILE OF OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, 177/. 



O 

o 
o 

Q 
O 

e> 
o 

© 
o 

o 

O O O © O 



in Pennsylvania and who were Protestants willing to take the re- 
quired religious tests. March 4, 1786, an act was passed repealing 
all laws requiring an oath or affirmation of allegiance from the in- 
habitants of the State. 

70. Pennsylvania and the National Constitution. — The 
Charter of Pennsylvania was one of the latest to be granted by the 
British Crown ; it was not, therefore, an original document in the 
sense of indicating new lines of political development, but it sum- 
marized the experience gained in previous colonies and was a more 
complete and more fully developed paper than any of the other 
charters. Owing to its date it is not to be expected that it could offer 
much in the way of original contributions to the development of 



234 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

American ideas ; and yet a number of important features that after- 
wards appeared in the National Constitution first made their appear- 
ance in it or were proposed or supported by men active in Pennsyl- 
vania history. 

Penn's Frame of 1682 contained a provision that "the Governor 
and Provincial Council shall take care that all laws, statutes and 
ordinances which shall at any time be made within the said Province, 
be duly and diligently executed." This was repeated in the Consti- 
tutions of 1776 and finally appeared in the National Constitution in 
summarizing the duties of the President : "He shall take care that 
the laws be faithfully executed." Penn's Frame was also the first 
American Constitution that included a clause providing a way for 
its amendment. This also was repeated in the Constitutions of 1776 
and was inserted in the National Constitution. 

The provision for trial by jury had appeared in the Concessions 
of West Jersey, 1677; its next appearance was in Penn's Laws 
Agreed Upon in England, 1682. No subsequent American constitu- 
tion contained this requirement until the Constitutions of 1776 were 
drafted. The Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges, 1701, was the 
earliest paper to provide that "all criminals shall have the same priv- 
ileges of witnesses and counsel as their prosecutors" (5th and 6th 
amendments to the U. S. Constitution). 

Penn's plan submitted to the Lords of Trade and Plantations in 
1 696- 1 697, providing for the union or federalization of the American 
colonies, contained a number of suggestions afterwards introduced 
into the National Constitution or influencing its final form. It was 
the first plan to include all the colonies and provided for two 
deputies from each, to be called the Congress, which seems to have 
been the first use of this word for an American Assembly. Penn 
proposed that this body should have charge of the regulation of 
commerce, and this became one of the most important provisions of 
the National Constitution. He suggested that the King's High 
Commissioner should, in the time of war, be the General or Chief 
Commander, a suggestion that reappears in the National Constitu- 
tion, in which the President is styled Commander-in-Chief. Penn's 
plan, of a congress of deputies, equal in number from each colony, 
and with a presiding officer or executive head, was the model for all 
subsequent plans of union of the colonies. 

Other notable plans for the union of the colonies had their 
origin in Pennsylvania. The next most important one was Frank- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 235 

lin's plan of 1754. It was well developed and carefully worked out. 
The President General was given power to carry the acts of the 
Council into effect, and its distinguishing feature was to give the 
Grand Council power to "lay and levy general duties, imposts or 
taxes," a function heretofore exercised by the colonies separately. 
This plan was adopted by the delegates assembled at Albany to ad- 
just the Indian difficulties, but failed of general adoption. 

In the Continental Congress which met in 1774 three plans of 
general government were considered. These were Galloway's plan 
of 1774, which was an amplification of Franklin's plan of 1754; 
Franklin's plan of 1775, which, like Galloway's, contemplated recon- 
ciliation with England ; and the Articles of Confederation prepared 
in 1776 and approved by Congress in 1778. 

The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 was a rapidly-drawn and 
ill-considered document, but contained some new provisions that 
were engrafted upon the National Constitution. It provided "that 
the people have a right to freedom of speech and of writing and 
publishing their sentiments ; therefore the freedom of the press ought 
not to be restrained." A similar provision was inserted in the Vir- 
ginia Bill of Rights of the same year, and other documents of the 
same date (First Amendment). This Pennsylvania Constitution 
also stated "that the people have a right to assemble together, to con- 
sult for their common good, to instruct their representatives and to 
apply to the Legislature for redress of grievances, by address, peti- 
tion or remonstrance." This had previously appeared in the Conces- 
sions of West Jersey, 1677 (First Amendment). The subordination 
of the military to the civil power was provided in the Virginia Bill 
of Rights, 1776, and the Pennsylvania Constitution of the same date 
(Second Amendment). 

Apart from the formal expressions contained in Pennsylvania 
documents the influence of the State on the National Constitution 
was further manifested in the acts of the Assembly in withdrawing' 
charters granted by previous assemblies. This was especially the 
case in cancelling the charters of the College of Philadelphia and of 
the Bank of North America in 1785, which made it apparent that all 
institutions might lose their charters through irresponsible legis- 
latures. Wilson, a friend of both the college and the bank, drafted 
the clause that "no State shall pass any law impairing the obligation 
of contracts," a provision that serves as the basis of our present com- 
mercial and financial system. 



2z6 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

Pennsylvania's part in the evolution of Federalism in the Na- 
tional Constitution is shown in the following summary, which also 
includes references to other than Pennsylvania documents in which 
the points referred to have earlier mention : 

Representation : Senators equal ; Representatives according to 
population; two from each Province, Penn's plan, 1696; two from 
each colony, New England Union, 1643. 

Census. Franklin's Articles of Confederation, 1775 (N. E. 
Union, 1643). 

Name. ''The name of this confederacy shall henceforth be the 
United Colonies of North America"; Franklin. 1775 (United Colo- 
nies of New England, N. E. Union, 1643). 

General Pozvers of Congress. President-General with Council 
to have all legislative rights and powers (also N. E. Union, 1643), 
Galloway's plan, 1774. 

Presiding Officer of Congress. The King's commissioners to 
preside: Penn's plan, 1696 (similar provision in N. E. Union, 1643). 

State Restrictions. No colony to engage in war without the 
consent of Congress ; Franklin's plan. Articles of Confederation, 
1778 (N. E. Union, 1643; Hutchinson's plan, 1754). 

Raising Money and Taxation. General powers given ; Franklin, 
1754 (N. E. Union, 1643; Lord Stair's plan, 1721). 

Intercourse Betzveen States. General adjustment of differences 
and complaints; Penn's plan, 1696 (N. E. Union, 1643). 

Regulation of Commerce. Penn's plan, 1696. 

Sending and Receiving Ambassadors. Franklin's plan, 1775. 

Regulation of the Value of Money. Franklin, 1775 (Dr. John- 
son's plan, 1660). 

Army. Congress to consider ways and means ; Penn's plan, 
1696 (N. E. Union, 1643). 

Navy. General powers given ;. Franklin, 1754 (Lord Stair, 
1721). 

Controversies Betzveen States. Power given to Congress in 
Franklin's articles, 1775. 

Treaty-Making Pozver. Assigned to Congress in Franklin's 
plan, 1754. 

Issue of Money b\ Lazv Alone. Franklin, 1754. 

April 3, 1809, Governor Snyder approved a resolution of the 
Assembly of Pennsylvania recommending an amendment to the 
Federal Constitution providing for the creation of a tribunal to de- 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 237 

termine disputes between the general and State governments. The 
proposal was submitted to Congress by President Madison and 
tabled. The General Assembly of Virginia adopted resolutions dis- 
approving of the proposed amendment. 

April I, 1 90 1, the Pennsylvania Assembly adopted a resolution 
in favor of a constitutional amendment providing that U. S. Senators 
be elected by direct vote of the people. It was approved by Governor 
Stone April 24, 1901. 

71. The Post. — The first post office in Pennsylvania was es- 
tablished by William Penn in July, 1683, for service between Phila- 
delphia, New Castle, Chester or the Falls. A general post office in 
Philadelphia was organized in 1700. The delivery of letters by the 
penny post was begun in 1753. In 1756 a stage line was established 
between Philadelphia and New York, to cover the distance in 
three days, traveling by way of Trenton and Perth Amboy, 
The Moravians organized a weekly post between Philadelphia and 
Bethlehem in July, 1742. The first stage line between Philadelphia 
and Boston began June 24, 1772. Benjamin Franklin was, for a 
long time, postmaster general in Philadelphia. In July, 1775, a 
postmaster general for the colonies was established in Philadelphia 
by the Second Continental Congress. 

72. The State Seal. — Three seals were in use in the Pro- 
vincial period : the Great Seal, the Lesser Seal and the Seal at Arms. 
The first was used on treaties, proclamations and important docu- 
ments ; the second on the laws, opinions of the Supreme Court and 
less important papers ; the third on summons to the Assembly and 
orders to the Provincial officials. The Great Seal has a counter seal 
or posterior face ; the other seals had only one face. The Great and 
Lesser Seals differed only in size ; the chief device was the 
Penn coat of arms, the inscriptions being changed with the Pro- 
prietorships. The Seal at Arms varied with the different Gov- 
ernors, who introduced their own arms or modifications of them. 

The Constitutional Convention of 1776 provided that all com- 
missions should be signed with the State Seal, but it was not until 
1778 that a seal appeared bearing the inscription "Seal of the State 
of Pennsylvania.'" It has been modified and re-engraved several 
times. 

73. The State Arms. — The earliest appearance of a coat of 
arms for the State was in 1777, when it was printed on an issue of 
State paper money; it was a shield only, without supporters, crest 



238 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



or inscription. In 1778 a design was prepared by Caleb Lownes, of 
Philadelphia, which has served as the basis of all subsequent modifi- 





OBVERSE. REVERSE. 

GREAT SEAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLTANIA. 



cations, which were very numerous, and often without authority of 
law. The present form of the arms was determined by a commission 
whose report was accepted by the Legislature in 1875. The tech- 
nical description is as follows : 

Escutcheon : Party per fess, azure and vert. On a chief of the 




FIRST ENGRAVED ARMS OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1777- 



. first, a ship under sail. On a fess, a plough proper. On a base of 
the second, three garbs, or. Crest : An eagle, rousant, proper, on 
a wreath of its colors. Supporters : Two horses, sable, caparisoned 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



239 



for draught, rearing-, respectant. Motto : "Virtue, Liberty and In- 
dependence," 

74. The State Flag. — Pennsylvania seems to have had no 
Provincial flag in the strict sense of the word. The military com- 
panies in the later Provincial period adopted flags of their own, 
many of which were elaborate in design and gorgeous in coloring. 
Benjamin Franklin proposed a number of designs for flags for the 
Associators, none of which, however, is known to have been made 
or used. Among the early Pennsylvania flags of historic interest are 
the Standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse (now First Troop, 
City Cavalry), 1775; flag of the First Rifle Regiment, 1775-1783; 
flag of the Hanover Associators of Lancaster County, 1775 ; and flag 
of the Independent Battalion of Westmoreland County, 1775, 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS, 1875. 



A provision for a State flag, emblazoned with the arms of the 
State, was made by act of Legislature dated April 9, 1799. A joint 
resolution of May 26, 1861, required the Governor to procure regi- 
mental standards with the arms of the State. In the Civil War many 
regimental flags were made of the National Flag with the arms of 
Pennsylvania substituted for the field of stars. 

The State flag is of deep blue bearing the State arms in heraldic 
colors, the whole surrounded with gold fringe. 



240 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Philadelphia is the only city in Pennsylvania with a civic stan- 
dard of its own. It has three vertical stripes, the central one yellow, 
bearing the city arms, the outer ones blue. It was adopted by an 
ordinance of the City Councils, March 27, 1895. 




MAP OF PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. ACT OF I9OI. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 241 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Qovernment. 
75. State Constitutions. 

Peniis}lvania has had four State Constitutions, adopted in 1776, 
1790, 1838 and 1873. 

Constitution of 1776. — A resolution of the Continental Con- 
gress, dated May 15, 1776, recommended "to the respective assem- 
blies and conventions of the United Colonies where no government 
sufficient to the exigencies of their afifairs had been hitherto estab- 
lished, to adopt such government as shall in the opinion of the 
representatives of the people best conduce to the happiness and 
safety of their constituents." A Provincial Conference was held 
in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, June 18, 1776, with Thomas 
McKean as President, in response to a call issued by the committee 
of the city and liberties of Philadelphia in accordance with this 
resolution. The conference adjourned June 25, and agreed that on 
July 8 an election should be held for members of a convention to 
form a new government. This convention met in Philadelphia from 
July 15 to September 28, 1776, with Benjamin Franklin as Presi- 
dent, and adopted a "Bill of Rights and Constitution of the Com- 
monwealth of Pennsylvania." 

This Constitution provided for a General Assembly of one 
House, to be chosen annually, and a Supreme Executive Council of 
twelve members, one from each of the eleven counties and one from 
Philadelphia, chosen for three years. There was no Governor, the 
Council electing its own President from its members. A Board of 
Censors was created to note infractions of the constitutions and to 
prepare criticisms of it every seventh year ; it was composed of two 
persons from each city and county. 

Constitution of 1790. — The Constitution of 1776 proved in- 
adequate in operation and March 24, 1789, the General Assembly 
adopted a resolution submitting to the people the question of calling 
a convention to draft a new constitution. This being favorably 



242 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

voted on, a convention met in Philadelphia from November 24, 1789, 
to September 2, 1790, with Thomas Mifflin as President. The 
constitution which was adopted in the latter year provided for two 
legislative houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate, to 
be elected by the people, together with the Governor of the State. 
The Supreme Executive Council was abolished. The religious tests 
provided by the preceding constitution, as well as by the constitutions 
of Penn, were modified; the recognition of God and of a future 
state of rewards and punishments were retained for office holders, 
but a belief in the divine inspiration of Scripture was omitted. The 
Governor was to be chosen for three years, but could only serve nine 
out of twelve. The Lower House, to be chosen annually, was not 
to have more than 100 or less than 60 members; the Senators were 
to serve four years, and be between a quarter and a third of the 
number of the Lower House. 

Constitution of 1838. — An act of April 14, 1735, submitted 
the question of calling a constitutional convention to popular vote, 
and being favorably voted on, an act of March 29, 1836, appointed 
November 4, 1836, as the date of the election of delegates to the 
convention. It met at Harrisburg, May 2, 1837, with John Sergeant 
as president. November 23 it adjourned to Musical Fund Hall, 
Philadelphia, where it was in session from November 28 to Feb- 
ruary 22, 1838. The constitution was ratified by popular vote 
October 9, 1838, and went into effect January i, 1839. Amend- 
ments were adopted in 1850, 1857 and 1864. 

The political year was now begun with January; the Gov- 
ernor was allowed only two terms of three years each in any nine 
years ; the term of Senators was made three years ; the right of the 
Legislature to grant banking privileges was restricted to not more 
than twenty years ; a provision was inserted forbidding the taking of 
private property for public use without just compensation; many 
offices heretofore filled by appointment by the Governor were made 
elective; the life tenure of Supreme Court judges was changed to 
a period of fifteen years and the terms of other judges fixed at ten 
years ; much of the Governor's patronage was taken away from him 
and his nominations were to be passed on by the Senate in open ses- 
sion; the suffrage was extended only to white freemen; amend- 
ments could be made once in five years by two successive legislatures 
with the approval of the people; an amendment of 1850 made th« 
judges elective. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 243 

Constitution of 1873. — An act of June 2, 1871, submitted the 
question of a new constitution to popular vote on October 10, 1871, 
and was favorably decided upon. An act of April 11, 1872, regu- 
lated the holding of the convention and the delegates were elected 
October 8, 1872. The convention met in the House of Representa- 
tives at Harrisburg, November 12, 1872. November 27 it adjourned 
to meet in Philadelphia, January 7, 1873, and it completed its ses- 
sions there November 3, 1873. William M. Meredith was the first 
president of the convention, but died during an adjournment, and 
John H. Walker was chosen president, September 16. The constitu- 
tion was favorably voted on by the people December 16, 1873, and 
went into effect January i, 1874. 

The term of Governor was made four years and he was for- 
bidden to succeed himself; the office of Lieutenant-Governor was 
created and a pardon board established; the membership of the 
Senate and House was increased ; Senators served four years and 
Representatives two years ; sessions of the Legislature were made 
biennial ; all special and local legislation was forbidden ; the articles 
dealing with the school system were modernized; new economic 
and commercial conditions were recognized; voters, who are no 
longer required to be "white," in addition to a year's residence, must 
have resided in their district election district at least two months ; the 
oath of office of members of Legislature was made much stronger 
than heretofore; and provision was made for minority representa- 
tion of certain offices. 

Amendments to the Constitution determining the qualification 
of electors, providing for a secret ballot and regulating registra- 
tion, were adopted November 5, 1901. 

76. State Officers. — The Executive Officers of the Common- 
wealth are, the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of the 
Commonwealth, Attorney-General, Auditor-General, State Treas- 
urer, Secretary of Internal Affairs, and Superintendent of Public 
Instruction. The Lieutenant-Governor, the State Treasurer, the 
Secretary of Internal Affairs and the Auditor-General are elected by 
the people ; the other officers are appointed by the Governor. 

Other State officers include the Insurance Commissioner, Com- 
missioner of Banking, Secretary of Agriculture; State Librarian, 
Factory Inspector, Superintendent of Public Grounds and Buildings ; 
Superintendent of Public Printing and Binding; Adjutant-General; 



244 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Commissioner of Forestry ; Chief of the Department of Mines ; Com- 
missioner of Fisheries. 

Commissions and Boards, deaHng with various State offices 
and affairs are appointed from time to time by authority of the 
Legislature. 

77. Qen€?ral Assembly. — The legislative body of the State is 
the General Assembly, composed of a Senate and a House of Repre- 
sentatives. It meets biennially, beginning on the first Tuesday in 
January of the odd years. Special sessions are convened at the call 
of the Governor, but can enact no legislation not mentioned in the 
Governor's proclamation. Each house adopts its own rules for 




SEAL OF THE ASSEMBLY, 17/6. 



government, publishes its own journal, determines the qualifications 
of its members. Each member must have been a resident of his dis- 
trict for one year and a citizen of the State four years. The Speaker 
of the House presides over that body; the Lieutenant-Governor 
is the presiding officer of the Senate. No closed sessions can be held 
unless the business is of such a nature as should be kept secret. 
Members may be expelled upon proper evidence. A majority forms 
a quorum. Neither House may adjourn for more than three days 
without the consent of the other. No Senator or Representative 
may hold any other office in the State or nation. Members are 
chosen every second year at the general election, and in the case of a 
vacancy the presiding officer of the House in which it occurs must 
issue a writ of election to fill the vacancy during the remainder 
of the term. Members receive $1,500 for regular sessions, and $500 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



245 



for special sessions, with stationery, postaj^e and mileage of 20 cents 
per mile each way. Both Houses unite in joint session in electing 
United States Senators and the Governor, in case of a tie vote. 

Senate. — The State is divided into fifty senatorial districts, with 
one Senator from each district. Each county containing one or more 
ratios of population is entitled to one Senator for each ratio and to 
an additional Senator for a surplus of population exceeding three- 
fifths of a ratio. The senatorial ratio is obtained by dividing the 
whole population of the State by 50. The Senators are elected by 
the people for four years, one-half being chosen every two years. 




STATE SENATORIAL DISTRICTS : ACT OF 1874, CENSUS OF I9OO. 



They must be at least twenty-five years of age. The Senate orig- 
inates and passes bills ; it confirms or rejects appointments of the 
Governor ; it acts as a court of impeachment, and elects a president 
pro tempore. 

House of Representatives. — The number of members is deter- 
mined by dividing the population by 200, giving the "ratio" or 
number of people entitled to one Representative ; the number for any 
county is found by dividing the population of the county by the 
ratio. The House has 204 members. Representatives serve for two 
years and must be at least 21 years of age. The House originates 
and passes bills and originates all revenue bills. It prosecutes all 
impeachments. 



246 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 



Enactment of Laws. — A bill to become a law must be referred 
to a committee, received therefrom, printed, read three times on 
three different days, passed by both Houses, signed by their presid- 
ing officers and signed by the Governor. In case of change or 
amendment in either House the bill must be returned to its place of 
origin and the changes approved. A bill vetoed by the Governor 
may become a law when repassed by a two-thirds vote of each 
House. Bills not returned by the Governor within ten days become 
laws without his signature; but if the Legislature adjourns he has 
thirty days from the adjournment to sign or veto bills. He may 
disapprove any item or items of bills appropriating money, and the 
same is void unless repassed by a two-thirds vote. 




APPORTIONMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES IN STATE LEGISLATURE. 
ACT OF 1887. 



PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 247 



78. Local Government. 
A. Provincial Period. 

Under the Duke of York's laws the town was the centre of 
local government. Under Penn and his descendants the county was 
the centre. The County Court was the centre of authority and all 
local affairs were administered by officers which it appointed. County 
taxes were raised for "the support of the poor, building of prisons 
and repairing them, paying the salary of members belonging to the 
Assembly, paying for wolf's heads, expenses of judges with many 
other necessary charges." An act of 1682, afterwards declared a 
fundamental law, provided that no separate tax at any time should 
continue longer than a year. The justices of the Court of Sessions, 
with the help of the Grand Jury, were to estimate the county ex- 
penses and make assessments. In 1696 a new system was instituted, 
and six assessors were chosen annually for each county, to act in con- 
junction with the judges and the Grand Jury. Later, supplemental 
acts provided for the collection of arrears of taxes. A law of 1742 
changed the procedure considerably. Three commissioners were to 
be elected to perform the functions previously performed by the 
Court of Sessions. The counties were divided into districts to 
facilitate the collection of rates. The system developed under pro- 
prietary rule continued after the Revolution, In 1779 an assess- 
ment board was formed, composed of three commissioners and six 
county assessors, who appointed two assistant assessors for each 
township. Stringent measures were also provided for collecting un- 
paid taxes. It was subsequently provided that all local rates should 
be assessed on the basis of the last State tax. 

The management of roads and bridges and the care of the 
poor were vested in the county. The most important act with regard 
to the poor was passed in 1771, and provided for the appointment of 
two overseers in each township by the justices of the peace, who 
held yearly meetings for that purpose. With the authority of two 
judges these officials could levy a rate on property and a poll tax 
as often as deemed necessary. 



248 PENNSYLVANIA: A PRIMER. 

B. Present System. 

The township (§5) is the present political unit, but neither it 
nor the county predominates in the administration of local affairs. 
The powers of each are somewhat restricted. The highest township 
authority is the Board of Road Supervisors, two or more in num- 
ber, elected annually, and having charge of the highways. Certain 
rates can be laid by the township independently of the county ; it pro- 
vides for the support of the pauper poor in some counties, though in 
most of the larger ones the poor are supported in almshouses by the 
county at large. 

Every township, borough or city also constitutes a separate 
common school district, with powers to elect school directors, vary- 
ing in number from six, unpaid, and generally elected triennially, 
one-third of the whole number being chosen every year. Under 
certain constitutional limits the school board levies a separate tax, 
which partly supports the common schools, although each district 
also receives a very considerable appropriation from the State, which 
annually distributes five or six million dollars for this purpose. 

The county (§5) regulates its affairs directly. Three commis- 
sioners, elected for three years, constitute the chief authority. 




PENNSYLVANIA ARMS. 



INDEX 



Abbott, Philip, 42 

Abolition, 167, 225-227 

Academy of P. E. Church, 230; and 

Charitable School, 229; York, 230 
A :t of Settlement, 77, 88 
Adams, John, 39, 148; William, 169 
Admiralty Court, 221, 223 
Affirmation, 88, 89, 138, 233 
Agnew, Gen. James, 40 
Aitken's Tavern, 176 
Albany Purchase, 108, 114, 122 
Aldermen, 225 
Allegheny city, 42, 196, 198 
Allen Rifles, 217 

Allen, William, 84; William Jr., 182 
Alricics, Jacob, 132; Peter, 132 
American Philosophical Soc, 38 
Amsterdam, colony of, 59. 132 
Andrews, Robert, 121 
Andros, Sir Edmund, 132 
Anne, Queen, 88, 201 
Anshutz, George, 206 
Anti-Constitutionalists, 142. 147, 164. 
Anti-Federalists, 147, 164 
Anti-Machine candidate, 1G9 
Anti-Masonic party, 152, 154, 165, 167. 
Anti-Proprietary party, 83. 84, 163 
Application system, 192. 
Armand's Legion, 185 
Arms, state, 237, 238 
Armstrong, Col. John. 113; Gen. 

John, 179; Thomas A., 168 
Arnold, Benedict, 144, 183, 184 
Articles of Confederation, 38, 125. 

23s, 236 
Assembly, provincial, 64, 74. 77, 80. 

82, 84, 86, 87, 88, 94- 96, 115, 116, 

133. ^35, 137, 138, 139, 140, 163. 

201, 203, 204, 213, 214, 222, 226, 

247; state, 125, 126, 143, 171, 174, 

178, 244, 246 
Assessors, 33, 203, 247 
Associators, 139, 170, 173, 174. 185. 

187, 214, 239 
Atlee, Col. Samuel J., 184 
Aubrey, William, 69 
Auditors, county, 33 

Ballot Reform candidate, 169 
Baltimore, Lord, claims of, 53, 60, 

66, 90, 1 19-121 
Bank, of North America, 188, 235: 

of the U. S., 38; failures, 154, 155 
Banks, John, 167 
Baptists, 98, 230 
Barclay, Thomas, 189 
Bard, David, 227 
Barnes, J. Mahlon, 168 
Barre, Isaac, 43 



Barren Hill, 183 

Bartram, John, 39 

Bayard, John, 185 

Beaver, city, 200 

Beaver, James A., 159, 161, 162, 168 

Beekman, William, 132 

Bcissel, Conrad, 100 

Bethlehem, 102, 114, 231 

Beyer, Alexander, 131 

Biddle, Charles, 145; Edward, 173; 

James, 150; Owen, 185 
Bigler, William, 154. 156, 167 
Bill of Rights, 241 
Billop, Capt. Christopher, 132 
Bingham, William, 130 
Black, Chauncey P., 168 
Blackwell, Capt. John, 134, 136, 213 
Blewer, Joseph, 189 
Blockhouses, 216 
Board, Assessment, 247; Censors, 

241; Navy, 189, 190; Pardon, 243; 

Property, 191; State. 244; Trade, 

69, 72, 82, 83. 84. 128. 214; War, 

185 

Bonds, state, 202 

Border warfare, 104. 111-115, 124 

Boroughs, 34 

r>oundary adjustments, 1 18-130; state, 

30 
P.ouquet, Col. H., 41. 114, 115, 209 
Boys, Capt. Nathan, 190 
Braddock, Gen. E., 42, in. 140, 209 
Bradford, B. R., 167; William. 206; 

Col. W., 180. 189 
Bradstreet, Gen.. 115 
Brant, Joseph, 124 
Brandywine, battle of, 176-178, 185 
Bricker, Gerrit, 131 
Bridges, 32, 210, 247 
Brockholls, Capt. Anthony. 132 
Brown, Jacob, 150; R. A., 168; 

William, 189 
Bryan, George, 130, 142, 143, 172, 226 
Buchanan, James, 166 
Buckalew, Charles R.. 168 
Buckshot war, 154 
Bull, John, 185 
Bullitt, John C., 37 
Burgess, duties of, 35 
Bushy Run, 114 
Butler, Col. John. 124 

Cabots, 60. no 
Caldwell. Andrew, 189 
Callowhill, Hannah, 68, 70 
Campbell, Col. John, 42 
Canals, 150, 151, 156, 2n 
Candidates for Governor, 166-169 
Cantwell, Capt. Edmund, 132 



250 



INDEX. 



Capital of state, 37, 43, 44 
Capitol, 44, 150 
Carlisle, Abraham, 184 
Carpenter, Samuel, 134, 136 
Carpenters' Hall, 38, 173, 225, 241 
Carr, Capt. J., 132; Sir R., 60, 132 
Censors, board of, 241 
Centennial Exhibition, 160 
Certified townships, 200 
Chambersburg, 218, 219 
Chancery, court of, 222 
Charles I, 53, 62, 103 
Charles II, 53, 60, 62, 64, 66, 89, 122 
Charles, Robert, 79 
Charter, Royal, 72-74, 203, 213, 233; 
of Privileges, 78, 86, 91, 138, 229, 

234 
Chase, S. B., 168 
Chester, 64, y6, 78, 90, 178, 182, 205 
Chevaux-de-frise, 173, 180, 189 
Chew, Benjamin, 84 
Christ church, 38, 104, 230 
Christiana, Lancaster Co., 156, 228 
Christina, 61 
Christina, Queen, 56 
Chronological summary, 17-29 
Church party, 79, 137, 163 
Cities, 37-44 
Citizens' candidate, 168 
City Troop, Phila., 185, 239 
Civil war, 158-162, 165, 216-220, 228, 

239 

Clark, Abraham, 130 

Claypole, James, 136 

Cleaver, Kimber, 167 

Clinton, Sir Henry, 183; James, 128 

Cliveden, 39 

Clymer, George, 173, 174; Hiester, 
167 

Coal, 30, 31, 150, 206, 207, 218 

College of Phila., 188, 235 

Collier, Capt. John, 132 

Collin, Rev. Nicholas, 59 

Colonial period, 53-61, 131; gov- 
ernors, 131, 132; Records, 156 

Coke, 206, 207 

Colve, Anthony, 132 

Commissioners, county, 32, 129, 
248; Indian, 115 

Commissions, state, 244 

Committee of Correspondence, 38, 
173; of Safety, 37, 142, 170, 171, 

174 
Commonwealth, meaning of, 31; 

beginnings of government, 172 
Communications, ways of, 208-212 
Compromise act, 126 
Comptroller General, 144 
Compulsory education, 232 
Conestogoe Indians, 105, 114, 14T 
Conference, provincial, 173 
Confirming act, 125, 126 
Congress, continental, 38, 89, 173, 



174, 176, 178, 235, 241; U. 5., 39, 

125, 128; Hall, 39 
Connecticut, dispute with, 121-126; 

settlements on Schuylkill, 59, 60; 

settlers, 92, 200, 207, 230 
Consolidation act, 27 
Constitution, of 1776, 31, 38, 163, 

172, 223, 231, 234, 235, 237, 241; 

of 1790, 31, 38, 147, 156, 223, 231, 

241, 242; of 1838, 31, 154, 231, 232, 

242; of 1873, 31, 159, 223, 22s, 243; 

national, 145, 188, 233-237 
Constitutionalists, 142, 147, 163, 164, 

184 
Convention, of abolition societies, 

227; anti-slavery, 228; federal 

constitution, 38, 188; provincial, 

38, 89, 170, 241 
Cooke, Arthur, 134, 136 
Cooper, Joseph, 130 
Cornwallis, Gen., 176, 178, 182 
Corrsen, Arent, 131 
Cotton, 206, 207 
Council, privy, 73, 83, 84, 88, 119, 

120, 141; provincial, 74, 76, 77, 

84-8S, 94, 115, 134, 138, 140, 141, 

204, 213, 221, 234; of Safety, 171; 

Supreme Executive, 125, 142-146, 

147, 185, 189, 172, 241, 242 
Counties, 32, 44-52, 247, 248 
Country party, 163 
Courts, 142, 203, 221-225, 247; 

Quaker, 94; Virginia, 128 
Cox, Paul, 189 
Credit, see Money 
Crefeld Economy, 99 
Cresap's war, 115 
Crime, 72,, 76, 78, 82, 96, 106, 137, 

146, 221, 222, 225, 226, 234 
Cromwell, Oliver, 62, 103 
Currency, early, 201; depreciation, 

184, 194 
Curtin, Andrew G., 154, 157, 158, 166, 

167, 217, 218, 228, 232 
Custom house, U. S., 38 

Dean, Joseph, 185 

de Bienville, Celoron, no 

de Bogardt, Jost, 132 

Debt, state, 157, 159, 202 

Decatur, Stephen, 150 

Declaration of Independence, 38, 
149, 171, 174; Pine Creek, 174 

de Jumonville, in 

De Laet, Jan, 56 

Delamater, George, 168 

Delaware, boundary, 120, 129; com- 
pany, 122; river, discovery of, 
53; defense of river, 147, 149, 173. 
174, 180-182, 189; Indians, 105, 
108, 113, 117, 214; province, 53, 
64, 70, 74, 89-91, 118, 119, 136; state, 
S3. 64 



INDEX. 



251 



dc la Warr, Lord, 53 

Democrats, 147, 149, 150, 152, 154, 155, 
156, 157, 160, 164, 165, 166-169; Re- 
publicans, 147, 164; of the Revolu- 
tion, 151, 165 

Denny, William, 79, 135, 140, 141 

Depreciation lands, 194-196 

de St. Pierre, Legardeur, no 

Description, 30 

de Villiers, Coulon, in 

De Vries, David Peterszen, 56 

Devirit, Simon, 128 

D'Hinayossa, Alexander, 132 

Dickinson college, 231 

Dickinson, John, 84, 141, 145, 164, 
173, 174. 176 

Dill, Andrew H., 168 

Dinviriddie, Robert, 40, no, 126 

Discovery, 53 

District court, 223. 225 

Divestment act, 72, 145, 194 

Dixon, Jeremiah, 120 

Donation lands, 196-198 

Donop, Count, 181 

Dunmore, Lord, 115, 126 

Duquesne, Marquis, 43, no 

Durkee, Col. John, 43 

Dutch, 53, 54, 56, 59, 60, 92, 232; 
governors, 131, 132 

Eastern boundary, 130 

Easton, 113, 117, 122, 178 

Eckley, John, 134, 136 

Education, 149, 152, 154, 156, 228- 
232, 248; German, roi; Quaker. 
94, 97 

Election laws, 145 

Elizabeth, Queen, 53, 103 

Ellicott, Andrew, 121, 128 

Elm Tree Treaty, 106 

Emigration, 92, sqq. 

Enfoeffment deeds, 60, 74, 89, 119 

English governors, 132; settle- 
ments, 60, 61 

Ephrata, 100 

Episcopalians, 72, 73, 79, 83, 92, 98, 
104, 163, 172, 230 

Equity, 221, 222 

Erie, 43, no, 147, 200; triangle, 
117, 128, 129, 200 

Escutcheon, 238 

Evans, John, 134, 137, 222 

Ewing, John, 121 

Exchange, sterljng, 202 

Excise, 147, 204 

"Experiment," 189 

Eyre, Emanuel, 189 

Fairmount Park, 40, 142 
Farmer's Letters, 141, 145 
Federalists, 147, 151, 152, 154, 164, 

165, 167 
Fell, Judge Jesse, 207 



Finance, 144, 154, 157, 201-204 

Findlay, William, 146, 150, 165, 167 

First grants, 53; settlements, 53; 
school district, 232 

Five Nations, 117, 195 

Flag, national, 39; Pennsylvania, 
238, 239 

Fletcher, Benjamin, 68, 77, 87, 88, 
90, 134, 135, 213, 237, 239 

Flower, Enoch, 228 

Floyd, John B., 216 

Flying Camp, 174 

Forrest, Capt., 185 

Fort, Beversrede, 56; Billingsport, 
174, 180; Casimir, 54, 59; Christi- 
na, 58; on Delaware, 150, 180- 
182; Duquesne, 40, in, 113; Dur- 
kee, 123; Forty, 122, 124; Gran- 
ville, 148; frontier, 113, 214-216; 
Harmar, 128; Horn's, 174; Le 
Boeuf, no; Mcintosh, 200; Mer- 
cer, 180, 181, 182; Mifflin, 180, 
182; Nassau, 54; Necessity, in; 
Pitt, 41, 105, 113, 114, 198; 
Presqu'Isle, 43, no; Stanwix, 116, 
117, 198; Trinity, 59; Venango, 
no; Washington, 185 

Forbes, Gen. John, 41, 113, 209 

Ford, Philip, 68 

Forests, 30 

Foster, Henry D., 167 

Frames of Government, 74-78, 234 

Frankfort Company, 99 

Franklin, Benjamin, 79, 84, in, 

113, 139, 141, 142, 145, 163, 170, 
174, 214, 227, 229, 234, 235, 236, 
241 

Franklin and Marshall college, loi, 

231 
Freame, Thomas, 70 
Freedom of speech, 235 
Free Quakers, 97 
Free Soil party, 157, 166, 167 
Fremont, John C, 166 
French and Indian wars, 104, in- 

114, 207, 213, 216 

French in Pennsylvania, 108- 113 
Friendly Association, 116, 117 
Friends of the People, 164 
Friends' Public School, 228 
Fries's rebellion. 148 
Fry, Col. Joshua, in 
Furly, Benjamin, 100 

Gallatin, Albert, 206, 227 
Galloway, Joseph, 84, 173, 182, 235, 

236. 
Gas, natural, 30, 31 
Gates, Gen. Horatio, 180 
Gazzam, E. B., 167 
Geary, J. W., 154, 158, 159, 167, 168 
Gentlemen's party, 163 
Geography, 30 



252 



INDEX. 



Geolog}'. 31 

George II. 126 

German Baptist Brethren. 99 

German Protest, 225 

German Regiment, 185 

Germans, 83, 92, 98-103, 148, 163, 

172, 192, 194, 206, 229, 231, 2SS 
Germantown, 39, 40, 99, 100, 114, 

178, 231, 233; battle of, 151, 179. 

180, 205 
Gettysburg, 158, 218, 219 
Gill, John D., 168 
Glass, 42, 206, 207 
Gloria Dei church, 38. 59 
Godyn, Samuel, 56 
Goodson, Dr. John, 134, 136 
Gookin, Charles, 86, 134, 137, 138, 139, 

222 
Gordon, Patrick, 43, 80, 134, 139 
Gore, Obediah, 207 
Government, present, 241-248; 

frames of, 74-78, 234; provincial 

and home, 82, 83 
Governor, powers of, y-i, 77, 78, 86, 

191, 204, 234, 242, 243, 244, 245, 

246 
Governors, 131-162; colonial. 131, 

132; candidates for, 166-169; 

deputy, 68, 74, 86, 87. 133. 135; 

provincial, 134-142: state, list of. 

142, 146, 154, 159 
Graham, Col. I. D., 129 
Gray, George, 130, 185 
Great Law, 64, 78, 87, 203. 228 
Great Meadows, in 
Greenback candidate. 168 
Greenback-Labor candidates, 168 
Greene, Gen. N., 179. 180; Col. C. 181 
Gregg, Andrew, 167 
Grumblethorpe, 40 
Grundy, Thomas H., 168 
Gustavus Adolphus, 56 

Hamilton. Andrew, 134, 136; James, 

135, 140, 141 
Hancock, Gen. Winfield S., 218 
Hand. Col. Edward, 184, 185 
Hanover Associators, 239 
Hardwicke. Lord Chancellor. 120 
Harris. John. 43 
Harrisburg. 43, 44, 150, 156 
Hartley. Col. Thomas, 185 
Hartranft, John F., 159, 168 
Hastings, D. H., 159, 161, 162, 168 
Haussegger's batallion, 185 
Hawley, Charles L., 168 
Hazelhurst, Isaac, 167 
Hazelwood, John, 180, 181 
Hazen, Col. Moses, 185 
Henderson, Thomas, 130 
Hendrickson, Capt. Cornells. 53 
Hermits, German, loi 
Hiester, Joseph, 146, 151, 152, 167 



Hockley, Richard, 84 

Hollandare, Peter, 132 

Holy Experiment, 70-72 

Honest government candidate. 168 

Honest money, 160 

Hot water rebellion, 148 

House of Representatives, 242, 243, 

244, 245 
House tax rebellion, 148 
Houston, Robert J., 168 
Howe, Admiral, 180; General, 176, 

178, 180, 182, 183 
Hoyt, Henry M., 159, 160, 168 
Hudde, Andreas. 131, 132 
Hudson, Henry, 53 
Humphreys, Charles, 173, 174 
Huss, John, 102 
Hutchins, John, 121 
Huygens, Hendrick, 132 

Impeachment, McKean's, 149; pro- 
vision for, 76, 245 

Income, present, 204 

Indentured servants, 100, 214 

Independence Hall, 38, 173, 188 

Independent Democrats, 149, 166. 
167; Republicans, 151, 165 

Indians, 105-117, 226; massacres. 
Ill, 113, 124; Penn's treatment 
of, 69, 105, 106; purchases from, 
56, 58, 59, 60, 104, 105. 106, 108, 
116, 117, 122, 128, 192. 196; trails, 
208, 209; wars, 94, 96. i2.d, 140, 
141, 147, 148, 214, 216 

Industries, 158, 204-208 

Insane hospital, first, 156 

Instructions, proprietary, 87, 133 

Internal improvements, 147. 150, 
152, 156, 157, 211. 212 

Iron, 42, 205, 206, 207 

Iroquois League, 105 

Irvin, James, 167 

Irvine, Gen. William. 185. 200 

Islands, 130 

Jacquet, John Paul, 59, 132 

James I, 53, 103; James II, 66, 89 

JefYerson, Thomas, 164 

Jenks, George A., 168 

lennings, John, 122 

jews, 88 

Johnston, W. F., 154, 155. 156, 167 

Johnstown flood, 162 

Jones, Sir William, 73 

Judges, 73, 74, 221, 222, 225, 226, 

242, 247 
Judicial system. 221-225 
Jurors, 33, 138, 203, 234, 247 

Kachlein, Col., 184 
Keim, Gen. W. H., 217 
Keith, George. 225; Sir William, 
80, loi, 134, 138, 201 



INDEX. 



253 



Kennett Square, 150, 176 
Kieft, Sir William, 59, 131 
Kittanning, 113 
Know Nothing party, 156, 166 

Labor candidate. 168; troubles, 
159, 160 

Lafayette, Marquis de, 151, 176, 183 

Lamberton, Thomas, 132 

Lamoyne, F. J., 167 

Lancaster, 43, 44, loi, 178 

Land, depreciation, 194-196; divi- 
sion of, 191-194; donation, 196- 
198; for colleges, 231; jobbers, 
125, 126, 192; office, 191; sales of, 
78, 126, 191, 233 

Lane, Franklin H., 168 

Lansdowne, 142 

La Salle, 108 

Lattimer, George, 167 

Law, enactment of. 246; Great, 78, 
203, 228; legal tender, 144, 202; 
school, 231, 232; tax loan, 155 

Laws agreed upon in England, 78, 
203, 234 

Lee, Gen. R. E.. 218, 219 

Legislative growth, 84-87 

Leiper, Thomas, 211 

Lenape, 105 

Lewis, Evan, 228 

Liberal party, 173 

Liberty candidate. 168; Men, 165; 
religious, 78, 96 

Lieutenant Governor, 243. 244 

Ligonier, 115 

Lincoln, Abraham, 166, 216, 228 

Lititz, 231 

"Liverpool," 174, 189 

Lloyd, David, 78, 162; Thomas, 90, 

134. 135. 136, 144 
Loans, state, 152, 155, 202 
Local government, 247. 248 
Loe, Thomas, 62 
Log College, 230 
Logan, Indian, 115; James, 40, 134, 

137. 138, 139; Guards. 217 
London Company, 53 
Longstreth, Morris, 167 
Lovelace, Col. Francis, 132 
Lower Counties, sec Delaware 
Lownes, Caleb, 238 
Lowry, Senator, 227 
Loyalists. 163, 182 
Lutherans, 58, 59, 100, loi. 102. 103. 

231 
Lutz, Col., 184 
Lynch law, first, 114 

Madison, James, 237 
Magaw, Col. Robert, 184, 185 
Magistrates' courts, 223. 225 
Manheim, 206 
Manors, 191, 200 



Marine, continental, 174; Pennsyl- 
vania, 189, 190 

Alarkham, William, 39, 60, 64, y?, 
88, 90, 105, 134, 135, 136, 213; his 
Frame, 77, 78, 86, 136 

Markle, Joseph, 167 

Marmie, Peter, 206 

Marsh, Joseph, 189 

Maryland boundary, sec Baltimore, 

Mason and Dixon Line, 120, 121, 128 

Mason, Charles, 120; S. R., 168 

Massacres, see Indian wars 

Massey, Samuel, 189 

Mayor, duties of, 35, 36; court. 223 

McClean, Alexander, 128 

McDonald, Capt., 217 

McKean, Thomas, 146, 148, 149, 164, 

165, 166, 173, 241 
McKnight, Capt. James, 217 
Meade, Gen. G. G., 218 
Mennonites, 99, 103 
Meredith, W. M., 243 
Meschianza, 183 

Message, first written governor's, 

149 
Methodists, 102, 231 
Metutcheon Hills, 179 
Mexican war, 155 
Mey, Cornells J., 53, 131 
Mifflin, Thomas, 142, 146, 147. 164. 

166, 173, 242 

Miles, Col. Samuel, 184 

Military affairs, 82, 86, 96, 97. loi, 

103, 137, 138, 139, 140. 144. 163, 

213-220 
Mineral deposits, 30 
Minisink settlements, 56 
Minuit, Peter, 56, 131, 132 
Molly Maguires, 159 
Molndal, 58 

Money and credit, 201-203; provin- 
cial, 138, 140, 141, 201; state, 141, 

154, 237 
Monmouth, battle of, 183 
Moore, William, 142, 144, 185 
Moravians, 92, 100, 102, 103, 113, 

231, 237; Indians, 103, 114 
More, Nicholas, 136 
Morrey, Humphrey, 37 
Morris house, 40 
Morris, Lewis, 140; Robert, 174; 

Robert H., 135, 140: Samuel, 185; 

S. C, 185 
Mortgage of Pennsylvania, 68 
Mortimer, Earl, 80 
Morton, John, 173, 174 
Moulder, Capt., 185 
Mountains, 30. 31 
Moylan, Col. Stephen, 185 
Muhlenberg, F. A., 166; H. A.. 167; 

H. M., loi, 102; Peter, 145 
Mutiny of Pennsylvania line, 143, 

187 



254 



INDEX. 



National Greenback, i68; Repub- 
licans, 152 

National Light Infantry, 217 

Native American Assn., 154, 155; 
party, 156, 166, 167 

Naturalization, 232-233 

Navy board, 189, 190 

Nazereth, 102, 231 

Neighborhood schools, 231 

Nelson's Independent Co., 184 

Neville, Joseph, 128 

New Albion, 53 

New Anistel, 59, 60 

New Castle, 54, 59, 60, 61, 64, 90, 
119, 120, 129 

New Geneva, 207 

New Haven colony, 59, 60, 132 

New Jersey boundary, 130 

Newspaper, German, 100, 102, 230 

New Sweden, 58 

New York boundary, 128, 129 

Nicolls, Capt. M., 132; Col. R., 

132. 
Non-importation agreement, 173 
Normal school law, 232 
North, Lord, T^i 
Northern boundary, 128, 129 
Northwest, reservations in, 198 

Oaths, 78, 88, 89, 97, 137, 143, 144, 

171, 233, 243 
Officers, borough, 35; city, 35, 36; 

county, ly, state, 243, 244; 

township, 34 
Ogden, Capt. Amos, 122, 123 
O'Harra, James, 200 
Ohio Company, 40, no, 126; 

county, 128 
Old Schoolmen, 151, 165 
Ordinances, 35, 36 
Osset, Giles, 131 
Ottendorff corp, 185 
Oxenstern, 56 
Oxford, Earl of, 80 

Packer, Asa, 168; W. F., 154, 157, 167 

Palatines, 99 

Palmer, Anthony, 135, 140 

Panic, 154, 15s, 157 

Paoli massacre, 178 

Paper mill, first, 205 

Pappegoya, John, 132 

Parochial schools, 230, 231, 232 

Parsons, Thomas, 205 

Pastorius, F. D., 39, 99 

Patterson, Alex., 125; Gen. R., 217 

Pattison, R. E., 159, 160, 161, 168 

Patton, Col. John, 185 

Paxton riots, 114, 141 

Peacemakers, 221 

Pcnnamite and Yankee wars, 122- 

125 



Penn, Dennis, 80; Granville, 70; 
John, 80, 81; Letitia, 69; Mar- 
garet, 70, 80; Margaret Jasper, 
62; Springett, 69, 80, 81; William, 
Admiral Sir, 62, 64; William Jr., 
69, 80; William 3rd, 81 

Penn, Hannah, 68, 70, 80, 94, 120, 
138 

Penn, John 2nd, 70, 81, 84, 115, 135, 
141, 142, 163, 170 

Penn papers, 76 

Penn, Richard, 42, 70, 80, 81, 84, 
135; (11), 70, 135, 142 

Penn, Thomas, 42, 70, 80, 81, 126, 
135 

Penn, William, family, 39, 69, 70, 
80, 81, 194; charter, 72-74, 213; 
frames, 74-78, 88, 228, 234, and Dela- 
ware, 89-91, 119; Holy Experi- 
ment, 70-72; and Indians, 105, 
106, 108, 116; proprietaryship, 37, 
60, 71, 78-84, 92, 94, 98, 100, 133- 
138, 162, 163, 172, 191, 192, 205, 
225, 229, 236, 237, 247; sketch of, 
62-69 

Pennington, Mary, 64 

Pennsylvania, Abolition Society, 
227; Archives, 156; Bank, 188; 
canal, 151, 211; Dutch, 98-102; 
grant of, 64; islands, 130; Line, 
184, 185, 187, 194, 196; Navy, 173, 
174, 180-182, 187, 189, 190; origin 
of name, 64; payment for, 72, 74; 
Population Co., 129; Railroad, 
157, 212; road, 209 

Pennypacker, S. W., 102, 159, 162, 169 

People's party candidate, 168 

Perry, Commodore, 43 

Pershing, Cyrus L., 168 

Peters, Richard, 84 

Petit, Alfred C, 168 

Philadelphia, 37-40, 44, 70, 94, 97, 
104, 106, 107, 113, 117, 119, 144, 
147, 154, 155, 160, 166, 176, 178- 
184, 194, 214, 232, 239 

Physical features, 30 

Pierson, Thomas, 129 

Pietists, 99 

Piracy, 182 

Pitt, William, 41, 113 

Pittsburg, 40, 41, 42, 113, 126, 138, 
I47> 155, 156, 157, 158, 160, 206, 217 

Plockhoy, P. C, 225 

Plowden, Sir Edmund, 53 

Plunkett, Col., 124 

Political parties, 83, 84, 96, 142, 
147, 149, 151, 152, 154, 162-169, 
184; votes for governor, 166-169 

Pollard, William, 189 

Pollock, James, 154, 156, 157, 158, 167 

Pontiac, 114, us, 141, 216 

Poor, care of, 247, 248 

Popular party, 162, 163 



INDEX. 



255 



Population, cities, 37; county, 44- 
52, early, 60; elements, 92-104; 
state, 30 

Portage railroad, 211 

Porter, Andrew, 128; David R., 
154, ISS, 165, 167 

Post Office, 137, 237 

Powlett, Earl, 80 

Presbyterians, 83, 92, 103, 104, 115, 
163, 230 

Presqu'Isle, no, 147 

Printed laws, 78 

Printing press, 100, 102, 206, 207 

Printz, Johan, 58, 59, 132, 204 

Prohibition candidate, 168, 169 

Proprietary authority, T2-']y, col- 
onies, 71, Ty, government, 72-80; 
party, 83, 84, 162, 163, 164; rights, 
sale of, 68 

Proprietaryship, abolition of, 82, 
83, 84; and province, 78-81, 82, 87 

Puritans, 92 

Quakers, 62, tz, 64, 68, 71, 82, 83, 
89, 92-98, loi, 113, 115, 116, 117, 
137, 138, 140, 163, 164, 170, 172, 
188, 213, 214, 225, 227, 230 

Quarry, Col. Robert, 79, 163 

Quids, 149, 151, 165 

Quit rents, 78, 191, 192 

Radicals, 163 

Railroads, 156, 157, 211, 212 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 53 

Ratification of national constitution, 

188 
Read, Commodore Thomas, 189 
Reading, 42, 160, 217 
Red Bank, 180, 181 
Redemptioners, 100, loi 
Redick, David, 145 
Reed, Joseph, 142, 143, 144, 173, 187 
Reformed church, 100, loi, 102, 231 
Reigart, E. C, 167 
Relief notes, 155, 202 
Republican party, 154, 157, 165, 166, 

167, 168, 169 
Reservations in northwest, 198 
Reserves, 217 
Resolve money, 202 
Revenue, present, 204 
Revere, Paul, 173 
Revolt of Penn. Line, 143, 187 
Revolutionary war, Germans in, 101 ; 

Indians in, 115; Pennsylvania in, 

142-146, 170-190, 207; Quakers in, 

97 
Reynolds, Gen. J. F., 218 
Rhoads, Samuel, 173 
Ringgold Light Artillery, 217 
Riots, 154, 156, 158, 159, 160, 228 
Ritchie, Robert, 189 
Ritner, Joseph, 146, 152, 154, 165, 167 



Rittenhouse, David, 120, 128, 185; 

William, 205 
Rivers, 30, 211 

Roads, 194, 209, 210, 247, 248 
Roberts, John, 184; Senator, 227; 

mill, 205 
"Roebuck," 174, 189 
Roman Catholics, 88, 230, 231 
Ross, Betsy, 39; George, 173, 174; 

James, 166 
Royalists, 164 
Rush, Benjamin, 174 
Rutter, Thomas, 205 
Rynder, T. P., 168 
Rysingh, J. C, 59, 132 

St. Clair, Arthur, 166 

Saur, Christopher, 100, 102, 230 

Saw Dust war, 159 

Scalps, bounties for, 115, 214 

Schlatter, Michael, loi, 102, 230 

School districts, 34, 248 

Schulze, J. A., 146, 151, 165, 167 

Schwanendael, 56 

Schwenkfelders, 99, 100 

Scotch-Irish, 83, 92, 103, 104, 114, 
115, 147, 172, 174, 192, 206 

Scranton, 42 

Seal, state, 237 

Sectarians, 99 

Selheimer, Capt., 217 

Senate, state, 242, 243, 244, 245 

Senators, U. S., 237 

Sergeant, John, 167, 242 

Settlement, act of, ^^, 88, 91 

Settlements, first, 53; Dutch, 54, 56, 
59, 131 ; English, 60, 61, 131 ; Ger- 
man, 99; New Haven. 59, 60; 
Swedes, 56, 58, 131 

Seventh Day Baptists, 100 

Shawanese, 105, 113 

Shippen, Edward, ZT, I34. ^ZJ 

Shoemaker, George, 207 

Shunk, Francis R., 154, 155, 167 

Simcock, John, 134, 136 

Simcoe, Lt. Col. J. G., 182 

Singerly, William M., 168 

Six Nations, 105, 108, 116, 117, 122, 
124 

Slavery, 143, 165, 166, 225-228 

Slayton, J. W., 169 

Smidt, Capt. Deryck, 132 

Smith, Rev. William, 84, 104, 188, 
230; James, 174 

Snyder, Simon, 146, 149, 164, 166, 
167, 236 

Socialist-Labor candidates, 168, 169 

Soldiers' Orphans' Schools, 232 

South river, 53, 56, 59 

Spayd, John, 166 

Springett, Sir W., 64 ; Julielma, 64, 69 

Stamp act, 84, 96, 141, 163 

Stanwix, Gen. John, 41, 113 



256 



INDEX. 



State, divisions, 32 ; government or- 
ganized, 170, 172; militia, 174; pro- 
posed new, 125 

Steel, 42, 206 

Stenton, 40 

Stevens, Thaddeus, 232 

Stewart, Charles, 150; John. 168 

Stiegel, Baron William, 206 

Stone, William A., 159, 162. 168, 237 

Stony Point, 187 

Strike, railroad, 159 

Struck district, ig8 

Stuart, Gen. J. E. B., 217 

Stuyvesant, Peter, 56, 59, 131, 132 

Sullivan, Gen. John. 124, 178. 179, 
180 

Superior court, 223, 224 

Supreme court, state, 222, 223, 232. 
242 

Susquehanna Company, 122, 123 

Sutherland, Lord. 91 

Swallow, Silas C. 168. 169 

Swedes, 56-59, 91, 92, 119, 131, 132, 
206, 232 

Swedesborough. 60 

Swedish Australian Company. 56 

Taxation of proprietary estates, 

79, 141, 163. 214 
Taxes, 73, 120, 144, 147, 155, 201, 

202, 203, 204, 247 
Taylor, George, 174; Isaac, 129 
Tedyuscung, 117 
Temperance candidate, 168 
Tennent, Rev. William, 230 
Tertium Quids, 149, 151. 165 
Tests. 87-89. 97, 233, 242 
Textile industries, 206, 207 
Thomas, George, 134, 135. 139. 140, 

163. 214 
Thomson, Charles, 173 
Tienpont, Adrien Jorisz. 131 
Tilghman, William, 166 
Title, 31 

Toleration, 66, 70, 87-89, 96, 145 
Towns, 37 

Townships, 34, 248; Certified, 200 
Trade. 82, 209 
Trails. Indian, 208. 209 
Treason. 184 
Trent, Capt. William, 40 
Trenton, battle of, 176; decree, 125, 

126 
Troops in civil war, 216, 217. 218. 

220; Mexican war, 155; war of 

1812, 150; revolution, 173, 174, 184- 

187 
Tunkers, 99, 100 
Turnbull, William, 206 
Turner, Robert, 136 
Turnpikes, 194, 210 



United Brethren church, 102 
United Whigs, 154, 165 
University of Penn., 104. 143, 188. 

215, 229 
Upland, 61, 64, 90 
Usselinx, William, 56 

Valley Forge, 180, 183 

Van Dyck, Gerrit, 132 

Van Hulst, William, 131 

Van Ilpendam, J. J., 131 

Van Rensselaer. Killiaen. 56 

Van Ruyven, Cornelis, 132 

Van Twiller, Wouter, 131 

Virginia, campaign against French, 
no, in; conflict with, 115, 126- 
128, 198, 200; jurisdiction, 128 

Walker, John H., 243 

Walking Purchase, 108 

War, 213-220; of 1812, 149, 150 

Ward, Ensign Edward, 40, no 

Warrants, land, 192 

Warren Tavern, 178 

Washington artillery, 217 

Washington, George, 40, no, in, 

146, 176, 178, 179, 180, 182, 183, 184, 

187, 188, 189, 209 
Wayne, Anthony, 148, 178, 179. 184, 

185; Isaac, 167 
Welsh, 92, 98, 135 
West Augusta county, 128, 198 
West, Benjamin, 106 
West Jersey concessions. 234, 235 
Westmoreland, 124 
Westsylvania, 198 
Wharton, John, 189; Thomas, Jr., 

142, 143. 144, 172 
Whigs, 152, 155, 163, 167, 171 
Whiskey rebellion. 147, 148 
Whitemarsh, 182 
Wicaco, 61 
Wilkes, John, 43 
Wilkesbarre, 43, 122, 207 
Williamsport, 159 
Wilmot, David, 157. 167. 228 
William Penn Charter School, 229 
Wilson. James, 174, 235 
Wolf, Charles S.. 168; George, 146, 

152. 167. 232 
Woodward, George W., 167 
Wren, Capt., 217 
Wright's Ferry, 44 
Wyoming, battle of, 124; valley, 43, 

92, IDS, 122-126, 143, 216, 230 

Yeager, Capt., 217 
Yellow fever, 147 
Yohogania county, 128 
York, Duke of, 53, 60, 64, 74, 89, 90, 
n9, 132, 247. 



Unitas Fratrum, 102 



Zinzendorf. Count, 102, 103. 122 









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